３月２６日（木曜日）２０２６
　雨で冬に逆戻りしたかのような昨日のお天気も今日は穏やかな日となりほっとしました。家の外も中も掃除や整理で気になるところばかり。股関節の回復ぐあいを見ながら少しずつ始めるも、雑草や散らかりのほうが先行しています。

　さて、多賀町役場が毎月刊行している「広報たが」が届く度に最後のページのクロスワードに答えてはオンラインで送っていますが、たまに抽選に当たると５００円の図書カードが送られてきます。今日も役場の封筒がポストに入っていたので、何だろうと思って開けたら図書カードが入っていました。嬉しいです。

　彦根に買い出しに出た後、自転車を置いて、リハビリ散歩に多賀大社とその周りを歩きました。種類は分かりませんが、森のあちこちで赤い椿が深緑の葉の間に見えて美しく、立ち止まって見上げました。

It was a rainy cold day yesterday and we felt as if we got back to the winter, but we were relieved today because it became a fine day again. Recently I am worrying about messiness both inside and outside of my house. I try to start cleaning them up depending on the recovery condition of my hip joint, but I can not catch up with the speed of the messiness.

Well, today I received a book gift card in an envelope which was from town hall. Every time I receive a monthly booklet of Public Information of Taga from town hall, I enjoy Crossword Puzzles which are on the last page of the booklet and send the answer to them online. When I win the lottery occasionally, I get a bookstore gift card of 500 yen from our town hall and today I got it. I was very happy with it.

After coming back from the supermarket in Hikone by bike, I went out for walking to Taga Tisha shrine and around there for my hip joint rehabilitation. In the shrine woods, I saw red camellia flowers here and there. They were beautiful and I stopped walking to appreciate them.

 

３月１９日（木曜日）２０２６　
　あっという間に３月も半ばを過ぎました。ボストンから日本に帰って一週間経ちました。時差の影響で午後６時を過ぎると睡魔が襲い、夕食と入浴を済ませた後は早々にベッドへ。朝は３時ごろには眼が覚めるといった不規則生活が続いている外は、至って元気に過ごしています。

　友人Hさんの買い出しの車出しや掃除の手伝いには感謝の言葉もありません。三日目からカフェも開けています。長い不在で地元の皆さんにはご心配やご不便をおかけしたこと、申し訳ありませんでした。足のほうは完全復帰にはまだ時間がかかりそうですが、日々回復しており、恐々試した自転車も大丈夫でした。勝手を言ってお休みいただいていたお弁当も再開しました。

　リハビリ散歩を兼ねてコンビニと郵便局に行って、郵便局では忘れかけていたお年玉年賀はがきの当選切手もいただいてきました。庭の紅梅が明るい日差しの中で美しいです。

It’s already the middle of March. Time flies quickly. It's been a week since I returned to Japan from Boston. I am still struggling with jet lag, and I get so sleepy after 6 p.m., so after eating dinner and taking a bath, I go to bed much earlier than usual.

I thank my friend, H,very much for helping clean up the house and taking me to the supermarket by her car. I opened my cafe on the third day of my return. I apologize to many people for the inconvenience of not opening the cafe for a long time and thank them for their patience. It would take a few more days to recover my legs completely, but they are getting better day by day. I cautiously tried to ride my bicycle, and I was able to make it. I also restarted the box lunch service by appointment.

Taking a walk to the convenience store and post office as a part of my rehabilitation, I received a prize set of stamp sheets at the post office which I won from New Year's cards. I am also happy to feel spring watching red plum blossoms in my tiny Japanese garden.

３月８日（日曜日）２０２６
　２階の寝室にある時計を見た時は午前８時で、階下で携帯を開いて飛び込んできた時間が９時過ぎだったので、あれっ？と思っていたら娘が「今日からday light savingね」と言ったので、ああそうか、ここはアメリカなんだと改めて思いました。

　day light saving (time)とは夏時間のことで、ハワイやアリゾナなど一部の州を除くアメリカ全土で３月の第２日曜日から１１月第１日曜日まで、午前２時になると一斉に時計が１時間進んで午前３時になります。これは夏の間、太陽光を有効利用して、省エネや余暇の向上を図るためとのことです。今はパソコンや携帯がその日がくると自動的に時計を進めてくれるので、それほど間違いはないのでしょうが、私のようなうっかり者は人に言われるまで気が付かなくて、過去に時間通りに職場に行ったのに誰も来ていない、というトンマな経験をしたことがありました。変更になる日が日曜日なのもそのあたりの理由からなのでしょう。

　夏時間になる時は時計の針が進むので時間に遅れるということはありませんが、これが冬時間になるとその反対なので注意が必要です。また、夕方などは５時が４時になるので、もう暗くなっていたのがしばらくはまだ少し明るい日が続くといった具合です。とにかく日本のように夏時間も冬時間もない（日本も1948-1951までサマータイムが実施されたそう）ところから来ると間違いなく混乱してしまいます。

When I saw the clock beside the bed upstairs, it was 8a.m., and when I opened my smartphone, it was after 9a.m.. I wondered what was going on. Then my daughter told me that daylight saving started today. I understood that it's the US.

All over the US except Hawaii, Arizona, etc., DST started the second Sunday of March until the first Sunday of November. At 2am, the time becomes 3am. According to the net info, the reason is that by making effective use of solar energy during the summer, we could save energy economically and much more enjoy leisure time. Nowadays we do not need to worry about changing the time because computers and smartphones do it automatically when DST comes, but I had an embarrassing experience about DST in the past when I was working in the US. I, like a careless person, went to my work as usual then nobody was around because other colleagues knew the time had changed.
Maybe that is the reason that DST starts Sunday.

When DST starts, hour hand goes ahead, so we don't worry about being late in the morning, but when it goes back to the regular hour in November, we have to pay attention not to be late in the morning. Anyhow, people from places like Japan which have no DST will definitely be confused by this sudden time change. (Actually Japan did have summer time from 1948 to 1951 introduced by GHQ, but the system was abolished in 1952 due to public complaints.)

３月７日（土曜日）２０２６　
　リハビリ散歩が終わって、いつも通り裏口から入ると、靴箱の上のショッピングバッグに目が止まり何だろうと持ち上げるとずっしり重く、中を見ると、アルミホイルに包まれたケーキのようなものでした。夫はヨーグルトなどを作る時によく室温で放置するため家族の誰にも触らせないように袋を被せたりしているのでその類かもしれないと思って聞くと自分ではない、自分も何だろうと思ってたと言います。

　とにかく、中に入って開けてみるとそれは１ローフのバナナケーキでしたが、誰からか名前がどこにもありません。心当たりは先日バレンタインデーの日に小さい贈り物をお隣のドアのところに置いたので、そのお礼かなということ。お隣は９０歳以上になるアイリッシュ系のご夫婦です。この数年は特に親しくお付き合いをしているわけではありませんが、きっと奥様のMさんが私たちのために焼いてくださったのだと思います。子供さんたちが頻繁に訪ねてきているのが車が止まっているので分かりますが、ご夫婦もそれぞれ車を運転してお出かけになっています。窓越しに見る姿はお歳を感じますが、向こうも私たちを見て色々感じているに違いありません。

　美味しいホームメイドケーキは娘がブランチを約束していた友達にも少しお裾分けしました。春らしいカードを日本から買ってきたのでお礼を書いてお隣に届けることにしました。

When I came into the house from the side door of the garage after coming back from my rehabilitation walk, I noticed a shopping bag on the shelf of shoes. It was not light and something wrapped in aluminum foil was inside. My husband often makes homemade yogurt by himself and does not want anybody to touch it by putting the shopping bag upside down in the middle of making it, so I thought it was his, but he said it was not and he was also wondering what it was.

Anyhow, I opened it in the kitchen. It was a loaf of home-made banana cake but there was no name anywhere. My only idea was that it was a thank you gift from our next door neighbors for whom we put a small Valentine's gift at their front door. An Irish couple who are more than 90 years old are living next door. We don't communicate with each other very much these years, but maybe the old lady, M, baked the cake for us and put it there. I often saw a car parked in front of their house that shows their children coming to see the couple. I also see the couple drive their car. When I see them through our window, they look old these days, and I am relieved they are well. Probably they are also looking at us from their window and feeling something.

We decided to share the cake to the person whom my daughter was going to meet on that day. Since I have a nice spring card from Japan, I wrote a thank you message for them on it.

３月６日（金曜日）２０２６

　世界クラウン大会（World Clown Convention)が今年はボストンでありました。スケジュールを見ると３月２日から６日まで。詳しくは分かりませんがクラウンについて色々なことを勉強したり、それぞれの分野で競技したり、プロのクラウンのショーも観られたり。参加者はホテルに泊って、朝から晩までメニューがぎっしりです。（好きなものに参加すればよいらしいですが）

　クラウンにも色々あって、ステージで観せるクラウンのほかに、ホスピタルクラウン、子供向け、高齢者向け、誕生日会に呼ばれたりするのでしょうか科学実験をするクラウン？またバルーン遊び、パペット、ウクレレ、腹話術、機知に富んだマジックの技法、クラウンメイク、マイム、コメディの技法,etc.日本でもロネとジージが５月末に木曽で数日間開催するウィスコンシン大学クラウンキャンプ公認・クラウンキャンプジャパンのようなものかなと思いました。因みに、ロネとジージもかつてこの大会で審査員を勤めたと言っていたので、ショーにも出ていたのでしょう。

　私は５日夜のプロのクラウンのショーを観に行きました。会場に入るなり、一般の人の中に様々なクラウンメイクや衣装をつけた男女が沢山席に座っていて、華やかなその人たちのすぐそばにいるだけで異次元に来た気分。それに観客の反応がとてもよく、ステージでボランティアを呼びかけると、かなりの人が一斉に手を上げていました。ステージが盛り上がらないはずがありません。Hilary Caplainという女性がメインゲストクラウンで一体いくつ役を観せてくれたでしょうか。まさに体を張ってクラウンを演じていました。日本からKという男性クラウンもバルーンとジャグリングと大きな脚立のバランスで観客を沸かせていました。

　クラウンショーはやっぱり楽しいです。屈託なく笑えます。日本にも我らが誇るロネとジージがいます。３月２８日（土）２９日（日）は新百合ヶ丘のアルテリオ小劇場で２年に一度のロネとジージのお弟子さんたちのショーがあり、後半はロネジジのBeyond the Wavesの劇場公演が観られます。見応えのある二段構えのショーです。もちろん私もチケットを買いました。関東の方、春真っ盛りの週末をクラウンショーで楽しんでみませんか？https://roneandgigi.com/comedyartfes2026/11187/

2026 World Clown Convention was held in Boston. It's from March 2nd to 6th, and the schedule is packed with many things to learn about Clown, competitions and performance by the professional clowns. Participants stay in the hotel of the event and are busy keeping up their schedule from the morning until night. (Although it seems they can choose their favorite subjects.)

There are several kinds of clowns who show their skills on the stage, visit hospitals for the patients, perform for kids, or visit nursing homes, and show the science experiments before children, maybe on their birthday? Clown does balloon games, puppet, ukulele, ventriloquism, magic and comedy wit, clown make-up, mime, comedy techniques, etc.. By the way, I heard from Rone that Rone & Gigi were the judges of this contest before, so I guess they did a performance on the stage before, too.

I went to watch a professional clowns show on the night of March 5th with my daughter. When we entered the hall, I saw many clowns in different clown make-up with colorful costumes sitting on the chairs among the ordinary audience. Just by sitting near them, I felt like I was in another world. The reaction on the stage was very good and when the clown on the stage asked the audience to volunteer, many people raised their hand instantly which was amazing and made me surprised because if it happens in Japan, no hands are raised or very few people do. It was obvious that the national character between the US and Japan was very different. In the US, there was no way their performance wouldn't be exciting. Female clown, Hilary Chaplain, was the main guest performer and she was amazing. She performed seven or eight different clown characters. She gave all her energy and talents on stage. Clown K, a male clown from Japan also performed on the stage. He did balloon juggling and balance using a big step ladder which surprised us.

In the end, the Clown Show was so much fun. We can laugh without hesitation. There is duo clown, RONE & Gigi whom I am very proud of. They will have shows on Sat March 28, and Sun March 29 at Kawasaki Art Center. Clown students of Rone & Gigi will be on the stage in the first half, and Rone & Gigi will perform "Beyond the ship" in the second half. It's worth watching. I am going with my friend and looking forward to it. Won't you enjoy their clown show in the weekend when Spring is in full swing?

３月１日（日曜日）２０２６

　今回は足腰が不安定ということもあって外出は最小限にして自宅にこもっています。それで、昨夜は娘が「映画を観ない？」と言ってきたので、作品を相手に任せたら、ノルウェイの「Sentimental Value (センチメンタル・バリュー）(2025)」を選びました。私は全然利用していませんが、netflixで自宅のパソコンで観られるものです。

    ノルウェイ語の映画で英語の字幕。途中で寝てしまうのではないかと心配しましたが、終わって余韻が残るほど良い作品でした。日本でも公開されたのではないかと思いますが、幼い頃離婚して家を出ていった映画監督の老いた父と、父を拒絶している、舞台女優になった姉、姉よりは冷静に父を見ている妹の３人の関係が描かれた作品です。

　映像の撮り方に最初から引き込まれ、ドラマチックな会話もなく淡々とそれぞれが話しているところがいかにも現実的で、内面が滲み出る俳優たちの微妙な表情に演技の上手さが窺われました。劇中劇が随所にあって、見ていて、えっ、今のは芝居？！と驚かされることも監督の手腕なのでしょう。背景に流れる効果音楽のようなものも殆どなく、淡々とした中にもしっかりとしたドラマ性があり、皆が救われる最後であったことにほっとしました。

　桃の節句のために娘が生まれた時にいただいた雛人形を飾りました。３０数年前に生を受けて親子の関係になったことをしみじみ幸福に思います。

My legs are still unstable when I walk, so I am staying almost always at home. Last night, my daughter invited me to watch a movie at home.
She chose a Norwegian movie "Sentimental Value (2025)". She said she can watch movies if you are a member of something like Netflix.

I was afraid of falling asleep because it was a Norwegian movie which I don't understand at all even with English subtitles as I would not be able to catch up to it. Nevertheless I was drawn into the movie and it was really good. The movie showed the relationship between an aged father who is a movie director and divorced early and left his two daughters, the elder of whom became an stage actress but had been refusing her father, compared to the younger daughter who is more generous than her sister to her father.

I was very much interested in the shooting methods, angles, and other techniques from the beginning. There was no dramatic conversation or acting scene throughout the movie, and I thought it was realistic. I was moved by the actor's subtle expressions of their inner feelings. Sometimes I was confused and surprised at the scenes which had a play within a play. It was due to the director's brilliant skill. They didn't use background music very much and it went very calmly but had a certain drama. I was relieved by the ending in which everyone was well.

In Japan, we celebrate the Girls Festival on March 3rd, so I displayed Hina dolls which I received when my daughter was born. A little more than thirty years ago, my daughter came into the world and since then we had a relationship of mother and child and I am really grateful for that.

２月２３日（月曜日）２０２６
　朝から降り止まない雪。取り敢えず午後になって雪かきを試みました。朝は３０センチほどだった積雪がさらに２、３０センチ増えて私の腿のあたりまできています。

　私は勝手口の方から、娘は玄関の方から人が通れるだけの雪を空けていくことにしました。時折、風と一緒に吹き付ける雪に娘は向こうでワァ〜ッと声を出していますが、懸命にシャベルを動かしています。私は、上のほうから３段階に分けて雪を脇へ放り投げていきます。こんな深い雪はここ数年経験したことがありません。先ごろの青森辺りの大雪はこんなものではなくご苦労を思いました。
　
　角地なので歩道の雪空けは他所より大変で取り敢えずは半分だけ終わり、幅も言われているより狭いですが、休憩後にまた再開ということで家の中に入りました。お茶を飲んで一息つきながら、互いの奮闘を讃え合いました。

The snow has been constantly falling since morning. I decided to eliminate the snow in the afternoon with my daughter. it accumulated to about two feet which was higher than this morning.

I started working from the entrance of the side door of the garage, and my daughter did this from the main door. The snow blew strongly with the wind sometimes and I could hear my daughter screaming about it but she was shoveling hard. I eliminated the snow in three steps. First I took the surface snow and threw it away, second I took the next level of snow away, and thirdly I took the bottom of the snow and threw it away. I have never experienced such heavy snow in these several years. I deeply sympathize with the people in the Aomori area who had much heavier snow accumulation this winter and were damaged by it.

Since our house stands in the corner, eliminating the snow on the sidewalk is much harder than a regular house. We finished the work only halfway at this time and the required width for eliminating based on the instruction from the police was not enough, but we decided to take a break and do it again after the break. While having a hot drink, we praised each other's hard work.

２月２３日（月曜日）２０２６
　ボストンは今回もかなりの雪になりそうです。
昨夜はまだそれほどでもなかったので、大したことはないかと高を括っていたのですが、今朝は結構な積雪量になっていました。

　地域の警察から電話で路上に止めている車は除雪車が通るので撤去しておくように、また各家の前の歩道は３６インチ（約９１センチ）は
除雪しておくように、との指示が出ていました。学校や職場はもちろん閉鎖で、娘も家におり、医師との面談がある夫も病院ではなくZoomで話すことになりました。朝８時、外を見ると時折除雪車が雪を退けていますが、それ以外に車も人も姿はありません。

　今日は一日降り続くようで、除雪機のない我が家は人力で雪かきをするのですが、近所はまだ誰も出ていないので我が家もタイミングを見計らっています。運動を兼ねて私も娘と雪かき、頑張ります！

    We expect heavy snow in Boston again similar to the last snowfall which was 3 weeks ago. Actually I underestimated the amount of snow, because it was not falling much last night, but everything was covered in heavy snow this morning.

　Last night we received instructions from the local police by phone that if you park the car on the street, you should move it because it gets in the way of snowplows. Another instruction was that we need to eliminate the snow on the sidewalk in front of the house 36 inches in width. All schools and workplaces are closed for this emergency situation, so my daughter is staying at home and my husband will talk to the doctor by zoom instead of meeting in person. As of 8 a.m., snow plows are running but no cars and people can be seen.

According to the weather information, the snow will be falling all day long. Since we don't have a snow blower, we need to eliminate the snow by hand and we are wondering when we should go out to shovel the snow because I don't see anybody outside now. I think shoveling will be a good exercise. I will do it with my daughter and I am excited about it!

２月１８日（水曜日）２０２６　

　リハビリを兼ねて気になっていた銀行とドラッグストアまで歩いての外出。歩道の雪はほとんど溶けていたものの、所々ぬかるみやまだ雪が残っていたりで杖と娘がそばについてくれたのが有り難かったです。家の中で歩くのとは違い、結構な距離で足はガクガク次第に棒のようになりましたが、何とか用事と買い物を済ませて帰り着き一安心といったところです。

　帰る途中に新しく建て替わった街の図書館に入ってみました。去年の夏はまだ工事中でしたが立派な出来上がり。中は旧暦のお正月を祝う飾りつけもされて、前とは全然違います。ガラス越しに向こうは子供の本のセクションがあり、子供が騒いでも大人が静かに本を読んだり探したりするのに何の問題もありません。色々な工夫に感心するばかりでした。

I went to the nearby bank and drugstore in Belmont Center by foot. My walk was also good rehabilitation for my recovering leg. Although the snow on the walkway had already melted, there was still some snow left partially or in puddles, so I appreciated having support with a cane and my daughter's assistance. Walking outside was very much different from walking inside a house. My legs were wobbly and became stiff like a stick, and I was relieved to come back home after finishing my errands and shopping.

On the way back home, we stopped by Belmont public library which was rebuilt last year. When I saw it last summer, it was still under construction, but it was completely finished and became a splendid library. When we walked in the library, we saw some decorations for the Chinese New Year and it was much more spacious than the old library. The Children's book section was divided by the glass wall so people could read or look for their books without being bothered if kids make any noise. I was impressed by those ideas.

２月１４日（土曜日）２０２６
　今日はバレンタインデー。といっても我が家は至って静かで何も特別なことはありません。それでも、ちょっとだけ楽しいことを考えました。高齢になったお隣のご夫婦に小さい贈り物をしたのです。

　最近は私も留守で、お隣とのお付き合いはほとんどなく、会えば挨拶をするぐらいです。今の家に引っ越してきたのが、娘が２歳ぐらいの時。以来ハロウィンには希望する動物の衣装を私が作ってそれを着た娘がご近所を回るのをお隣は楽しみに待っていてくださいました。その娘も今では子供がいてもおかしくないほどの歳になりました。

　その娘から、去年のハロウィンにお隣のMさんが我が家の玄関先にお菓子を娘宛に置いてくださったと聞きました。後日お返しに娘は小さい贈り物をお隣のドアの前に置いたそうです。今回は私がボストンにいることもあって、何か喜んでいただける小さな贈り物をしようと考えて、カードと一緒に日本から持ってきたお菓子を袋に入れてお隣の玄関先に置きました。Mさんとご主人のNさん、今年もお元気で過ごしてくださいますように......

Today is a Valentine's Day but we don't do any particular activity in my home. I had, however, a little bit fun idea for my neighbors who are getting older than us. It is a small gift for them.

Since I have spent only a few days in Boston these past years, I have few neighbourhood relationships now and only give greetings when I meet them. When we moved to the current house, my daughter was about two years old. Since then, when Halloween Day came, they were waiting for my daughter who wore an animal costume which was her wish and every time I made it for her, we would visit their house. Now my daughter is grown up.

Well, I heard from my daughter that last Halloween, Ms. M, my next door neighbor, gave some sweets to her and put them in front of our front door. My daughter put some small gifts in return in front of her house to show her appreciation. This time, I would like to give a small Valentine's gift to them. We put a card and some candies from Japan at their doorstep. I wish Ms. M and Mr. N's a healthy and wonderful year ahead.

２月１２日（木曜日）２０２６
　ボストン３日目。外は晴れて、気温も０度Cぐらいでボストンの冬にしては穏やかな天気です。

　思ったほど回復が早くない私の足と付き合いながら、家の中で歩行練習やリハビリ運動を取り敢えずやっています。前回来た時に約束しておいた掛かりつけ医との検診や歯のクリーニングの予約は、雪の残る道を歩くのは危険と考え、どちらもキャンセルしました。ですから、窓から景色を眺めるだけで、外の空気はまだ一度も吸っていません。冷蔵庫にあるもので食事を作ったり、洗濯したり、繕い物などで時間を潰しています。本を読んだりもできるのですが、ぼんやりYouTubeを見たりで、目下、怠けひきこもりの毎日です。

It is the third day since I came to Boston. The temperature in Boston is about 0°C and it is mild winter weather for usual Boston standards.

My leg is not recovering as well as I thought, and I have been practicing walking and undergoing rehabilitation inside the house. I canceled the appointments for a meeting with my primary doctor and dental cleaning which I made reservations for when I was here last time because it's dangerous for me to walk on a road that still has snow. Therefore, I have been staying at home and even haven't gotten some fresh air yet. I cook using vegetables and meat in the refrigerator, washing clothes, stitching clothes and socks if necessary. I have time to read books but rather watch YouTube blankly. Right now, I am spending my days as a lazy reclusive person.

２月９日（月曜日）２０２６

　先ずは日曜日に吹雪の中を彦根文化プラザまで朗読を聴きにきてくださった皆様に厚くお礼申し上げます。

　さて、翌日はボストンへ発つ日。帽子もバッグパックも真っ白になりながら、右手に杖、左手は娘の腕につかまって必死に駅まで歩きました。近江鉄道も新幹線も雪で遅れていたため、取り敢えずは予定通りの列車に乗車。米原駅では積雪防止に両側のホーム下から線路めがけて勢いよく水が噴射されていました。静岡駅を過ぎていくつものトンネルを潜った後に、突如、富士山が窓いっぱいに現れました。思わず手を合わせたくなるようなあまりに見事な富士の姿でした。

　飛行機は夕方の便でしたが、成田空港で余計な予定を入れた為、今回はあちこち歩くはめになり、おまけに出発ゲートが一番端。リハビリを兼ねてとはいえ、歩いた距離は長く長く正直、泣きたくなる程でした。

　これからしばらくは極寒のボストンで過ごします。また色々な報告ができたらと思っています。

First of all, I would like to thank the people who came to our reading performance at Hikone Bunka Plaza on such a snowy, stormy day.

Well, the next day was the departure day for Boston. In the snowy morning, I walked to the local station holding a cane in my right hand and my daughter's arm in my left hand. Both our hats and backpacks were white with snow, and it was miserable. Due to the snow, the local railway and Shinkansen were delayed. We saw the water strongly spurting out from both under platforms to the rail in order not to let the snow accumulate on the rails.

Passing Shizuoka Station and several tunnels, we suddenly saw Mt. Fuji out of our left window. It was so beautiful and powerful.

The departure time of our flight was in the evening, but since I had plans at the airport, we needed to move to several places in the airport, and the gate of our flight was the farthest, so we needed to walk a lot and it was really a burden for me.

I will spend days in Boston where it is the coldest season. I would like to give interesting reports from here.

２月７日（土曜日）２０２６

　手術前に、リハビリを終えて退院したらもう少し動けると思っていたのは私の妄想でした。実際は足の付け根からの筋肉の張りが酷くて、色々な動作がまだ大変です。滋賀に帰ってからも、心配して電話をかけて下さる方、見に来てくださる方、皆様のお心遣いには本当に感謝です。

　しばらくはカフェを休んで家でゆっくりしていましたが、今日は以前からのランチの予約が２組入っていたので、久しぶりに前日から準備をして、近くのY.Fさんのお手伝いと慣れないながらも一生懸命手伝おうと動いてくれた娘のおかげで何とか食事が提供できました。数日前に掛けた床の間の涅槃図を座敷のお客様に見ていただけたのも幸いでした。

　高宮のM.Fさんが訪ねてくださり、電話で落としたものを取るのに苦労していると話したことで、お菓子と一緒に何とハンドキャッチャーをお持ちくださいました。ご自身も以前、同様の手術をなさったことから、術後の苦労をよくご存知だったのでしょう。物を取るだけでなく、石油ストーブの調節もこのキャッチャーでできました！Mさんには感謝するばかりです。

　週末は多賀町の公民館まつり。私の所属する朗読サークルも明日、宮沢賢治の「セロ引きのゴーシュ」を発表します。下手で楽長（指揮者）から文句を言われ続けるゴーシュは毎晩夜を徹して練習します。そんなゴーシュのところへ動物たちが来て交流するうちに、ゴーシュは楽長の指摘を一つずつクリアーしていきます。何をしても上手にならない自分自身と重なり、賢治のこのファンタジーは切ないながらも温かな気持ちになる作品です。上手には読めませんが、聴いてくださる方がいれば嬉しいです。日曜日は彦根の文化プラザでも発表いたします。

I was imagining that I could move more smoothly when I got discharged from the hospital where I received some rehabilitation already but it was my imagination. My left leg muscle below my hip joint is stiffening up and it is still very hard to do the daily movement. Many of my friends visited me or made phone calls to ask how I am doing after coming back to Taga, and I thank all for their consideration.

I have been resting and relaxing at home, but I prepared lunch yesterday for the first time since being discharged from the hospital for two groups, which I already had reservations for in January. Getting help from Ms.Y. F who is my neighbor and from my daughter, I could serve their lunch. I was also happy to show the scroll of Buddha's Nirvana painting to the customers.

In the afternoon, Ms. M.F from Takamiya came to see me and brought a "hand catcher" to me with some sweets. She brought it because she knew that I was struggling to pick things up on the floor from our phone conversation. She had experienced a hip surgery before and sympathized with me very much. The "hand catcher" is very useful not only for picking something up on the floor but also adjusting the lower lever of the room heater. I thank Ms. M very much.

As for this weekend, a cultural festival will be held at a local public hall. I will be giving a reading performance as a member of a reading group. We will read "Gauche the Cellist" by Kenji Miyazawa. It is a fantasy of a poor cellist Gauche who was always having complaints from his conductor, so he practiced so hard every night. Several animals visited him every night and communicated with him. Through the experience, he overcame his problems and grew up to be an excellent cello player. Gauche and I share the struggle to present skillfully. I like this short story very much. I would appreciate it if you could come. We will present it at Bunka Plaza in Hikone on Sunday, as well.

２月３日（火曜日）２０２６
　お昼前に友人のHさんが訪ねてくれて、お土産に立派な恵方巻きをいただきました。実は、恵方巻きのことは聞いたことはありましたが、実際に体験するのは初めてで、節分の日に縁起の良い南南東の方角を向いて無言で巻き寿司を丸ごと食べるのだそう。３種類の立派な太巻きは、それでもハーフサイズとか。Hさんと娘と私で好きな種類を選んで、美味しく頂きました。恵方巻きは私の子供のころにはなかった習慣で、大阪方面の商人が商売繁盛で始めたとのことですが、美味しい太巻き寿司にボストンから来てくれた娘はもちろん大喜び。Hさんには感謝です。

　午後、リハビリがてら多賀大社に厄神斎のお札を買いに行ったら、ちょうど節分の豆まきの午後の部が始まるところで、境内は大勢の人で賑わっていました。還暦を迎えた皆様が赤い頭巾をかぶって、升に入った豆や福餅を撒くというおめでたい光景が見られたのは幸いでした。明日は立春。春が始まります。

My friend, H, visited me before noon bringing Eho-maki (thick sushi rolls which are believed to bring good fortune if eaten while facing the year's good luck direction). Actually I have heard about it, but I've never experienced it. Since H brought three kinds of thick maki, H, my daughter and I chose our favorite one, and ate it. It was so good. In my childhood, we didn't have such a custom. According to the net info., it was started by a merchant in Osaka in order to prosper their business. My daughter, who came from Boston, was very happy with such delicious rolling sushi. I thank H very much.

In the afternoon, I went to Taga Taisha with my daughter to buy Yakujinsai (an amulet of the year). Taking a walk would also be good for me. It was Setsubun (the day before the beginning of spring), and when we arrived at the shrine, Bean-Throwing by the people who celebrated their 60th birthday was just about to begin. A lot of people were gathering in order to get the bean or lucky mochi from the celebrated people who were putting on red hats. It was fun and lucky to be able to see such a seasonal celebration.

Tomorrow is the first day of spring in the calendar which we are looking forward to.