Feb. 24 - The Christmas Roses 2016 at Tegarayama, Himeji

This is the continued story from the previous article. 

My husband is one of the Christmas Rose collectors, and he is currently growing more than 500 pots in our garden.

He wanted to display some of his collections at the event so he chose more than 100 pots from our garden two days ago.  One of the staff members at the municipal garden drove his truck to our house to pick up 100 pots of Christmas roses for their three-week--event.  

My husband and I drove to the place to prepare our floral display yesterday.  I had brought some rugs from our kitchen so that we can clean up dirt on the flower pots there.  We also wrote down the variety's name on each plate, and placed them on the long tables they had prepared.

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Despite the chilly temperature this morning, my husband had to go to Tegarayama Botanical Garden because he had promised it with some of the staff members there.  I accompanied him.

We stayed there from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  We spent most of our time in the Christmas roses display area where my husband had brought more than 100 pots from our garden.

In addition, we liked staying in the cactus garden.  Most of the cactus are native to tropical areas so they have set a warmer environment for them to survive.  The warmer temperature made us much comfortable than outside.

This flower is named "Sagi sou."

"Sagi sou" is registered as the city flower of Himeji.

Sagi is the Japanese word for Heron.

This flower resembles a white bird flying.

 

I took this picture of Heron flying last year. 

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The pictures below are the displays at the entrance.

Various flowers including Christmas roses are planted in each pot. 

I liked these kinds of arrangement.

The Christmas rose has become popular in Japan for these 10 years.  British people call it Hellebores.   

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We thought there were more than 50 visitors, which was more than we expected.


Sitting down on the chairs, we waited for visitors.  During our 5-hour stay, we thought there were more than 50 visitors but it was more than we had expected.  My husband explained everything about Christmas roses if visitors showed their interest about the flower. 

More than half of the visitors were ladies over 60 years old.  Some of them asked the prices.  He replied, "The flowers in the display areas are not for sale.  There is a flower shop in the entrance you can buy some varieties of Christmas roses there."

I added, "They sell Nigers in full bloom from 450 yen or $4.50.  Also, other singles in full bloom are from 800 yen or $8.00."

Among them, one lady suggested that she was particularly interested in one flower named Madam Lemonnie.  She also said she has already found that flower for sale at the entrance.  She added, "It was priced at 4,500 yen or $45.00.  I'm wondering if I should buy that one." 

I thought to myself that how could she afford to buy flowers with that price as she obviously looked like a retiree.  Flowers bring us enjoyment, but they are not daily necessities such as food and clothes.

The next moment, my husband said to her,  "If you have found that flower in that price, you must be very lucky today.  It is a must buy.  I found them more than 9,000 yen or $90.00 at online shops these days."

I am not interested in buying expensive flowers.  I would rather like to buy the arrangement of various flowers in one pot with cheaper price.  

  

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We also visited the botanical garden last Feb. 19 for the preparation of our display. It was one day earlier from the event and we noticed more than hundreds of Christmas roses pots were already prepared for sale at the entrance.  

On our visit of Feb. 24, I guessed that more than 70% were sold already.  

Before the event has started, some staff members asked my husband, an expert, to help them to explain about the flower to their visitors during the three-week event.  Additionally, I was with my husband when its manager asked my husband to visit them "as often as possible" and "as long-hour as possible" when we visited them last Feb. 19. 

In fact, my husband stayed at the event place for 7 to 8 hours last Saturday, Feb. 20 and Sunday, Feb. 21.  He drove his car there.   He put 200 yen coins for the vending machine in the parking lot each time.  He has been encouraging visitors to buy their flowers at the entrance, that profit goes to the botanical garden, none to us.

On the other hand, they have never served him something to eat, or drink, not even a thermos filled with hot water.

According to my husband, they prepared this kind of thermos for him
when he joined their event in the previous year, 2015. 

My husband brought these stuffs from our house, however, the botanical garden staff members did not prepare the thermos for two days of Feb. 20th and 21st.
During his stay from 9 a.m. to 5:00 pm, he did not have any chance to drink or eat.  

I was very disappointed my husband complained to me that he brought there his cup noodles and cups of coffee from our house, but he did not get the chance to have them for two days of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. of Saturday Feb. 20th, and Sunday 21st.  I am sorry for my husband who is not good at asking these things to the staff members. 

They are making profits out of my husband's promotions, but he has not paid even a single penny.  That's why these kinds of volunteers are not popular here.

In fact, when I joined the local Saint Paulia group several years ago, we had an annual event at the same botanical garden.  The floral group had more than 20 members.  However, only a few members helped to visit the event.  Some of them said that they were too busy for other own things to do while others said putting 200 coins in the vending machine in the parking lot each time is just too much because they are already retired from work and they have been depending on their pensions.  Their incomes are very limited and they can only afford to pay daily necessities and medical expenses. 

I don't belong to the local Saint Paulia group anymore. 
But I am still growing Saint Paulia in my room.   

I am wondering what we should do for "win-win" situation for both of us.  Obviously, he should get money from them in return of his help to the botanical garden.  In case that he stays over 4 hours, they should prepare a thermos filled with hot water there. 

Suddenly,  one male staff member approached me as if he was wondering what I was doing there without paying the entrance fee.


I said to him.  "My husband has been complaining about the way your staff members treat him.  Your manager had asked him to stay as long as possible and as frequently as possible during the three-week-event.  Actually, he visited here more than 7 hours on Feb. 20 and 21.  He has even tried to sell your flowers at the entrance.  However, you never served him anything to eat, even hot water.  All of you are very, very, inconsiderate to my husband.  That's why I brought him his lunch box and his thermos.  Would you still like me to pay the entrance fee?"   Then, he didn't ask me to pay the entrance fee.

* * * * * * * * * *

The next day, Feb. 25, my husband went to the botanical garden.  I guessed that he had some appointments with some visitors.   He stayed there from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

He brought there the lunch box and the thermos that I had prepared that morning.  He took his lunch at noon.  However, one female staff member brought him something to drink after he had finished lunch.  I wondered if they could provide him something to drink before lunch, not after. 

Generally, Japanese people serve teas before meal.  I noticed that there were four female staff members working at the botanical garden.  Do they usually serve their families something to drink only after their meals?  Not before meals? 

I am not satisfied with the way they have been treating my husband these days, so I emailed them on Feb. 26.  I asked them about why they cannot provide even hot water to my husband.  I also wrote about my opinion that why volunteer members are unwilling to participate in their events from my Saint Paulia group experiences.

I got an immediate reply from the manager on the same day, 26th, saying that they apologize for the inconveniences they have caused him.  They are willing to discus the matter on his next visit. 

I hope that they will prepare the thermos filled with hot water as soon as they see my husband coming at the entrance.  That's the way Japanese people greet their guests to have them for their support.  In addition, I hope that they will discuss the matters themselves so that volunteer people will get more willing to support their event.  

There are too many varieties of Christmas roses, and we don't know how many of varieties exist upto now.  Each flower has unique colors and shapes just like humans differ each other. 

Feb. 22 - Sleep peacefully, Pearl chan

I wrote about my budgerigar's death last month.

Unfortunately, I have to tell you another bad news.  My cockatiel whom I considered as my daughter was found lifeless under the perch at 9:00 a.m. on Monday morning.  I didn't expect it would happen because she seemed to be the same as usual when I played with her for some time and placed her in the cage at 8:00 p.m. the night before.  I checked our new 100-watt pet heater if it was working properly and covered two thirds of the cage with blanket.

When I found her, the cage was not messy and her body was beautiful so I thought maybe she went to heaven without struggles.  Thinking about this made me feel more relieved.

Cockatiel's life span is said to be between 15 to 20 years.  Considering that she was just 8 years old, I expected that she could live with us for another 7 to 8 years. 

I am a bird-lover, and my husband and I don't have children.  We consider our pet birds as our children. 

Yesterday, I was only shocked with what had happened but I did not really feel any sadness.  But today, when I woke up, I realized that she is gone and I felt extremely sad with the fact that she's no longer here.  I think that I am gradually accepting that we have lost her.  

Pearl chan, the cockatiel, used to stay on my shoulder.

I had been always patient with the 100-gram burden for 8 years. 

She used to stay on my shoulder for about one hour these past few days.  There were times she alighted on my hand when I was typing on the computer or knitting.  My eyes were focused on my hands and it was her way to attract my attention.

I will turn 50 in two weeks and feel weak these days.  I was wondering if I could still go on with my life under the cold weather these days.  To save electricity, my husband and I try not to use the air conditioner because our electric bill became as high as 30,000 yen or $300 a month in this season.  

Just last Sunday, I wondered if I would die from heart failure because I've been eating more fatty food than I should even the fact that my cholesterol level is high.  I think I need more calories to warm up my body and that's the reason I eat more fried food these days.  My doctor said that I should take some medicines, but I haven't taken them yet.  I know that the coldness is the worst threat of my health.

An 8 year old cockatiel is as old as a 50 year-old person, which means that we are of the same generation.  However, I didn't have the slightest idea that instead of myself, she went to heaven the very next day.  Some friends of mine said that she had died from cardiac infarction because it was terribly cold that night.  I had taken it for granted that she would be with me on my birthday.

I took this picture in October 2015.  

She even came to my pillow as if saying, "Don't take a nap, play with me."

After we buried her with her favorite food at the corner of our garden, I turned on the air conditioner in my room and took some minor tranquilizer that my doctor had given me as a prescription. 

My husband suggested that we get another cockatiel to comfort me.  Then, I asked him if we could take care of the bird when it would live for another 20 years.  He will be 83 and I will be 70 years old then.  Pet birds act like healers, but not like caregivers for us.

I still don't know if we will buy another cockatiel in the future.  If I go to pet shops to find one, t would be spring time at the earliest.  I don't want to buy one in the cold season like this.  Small birds' health can be easily affected because they feel stressed when they have a change of environment.  At the moment, I must find inspiration from my other hobbies.

P-chan, the male budgerigar, is the only pet bird we currently live with. 

Christmas Rose Festival in 2016

The poster shows that the Christmas Rose Event will be held from Feb. 20 to Mar. 13, 2016 at Tegarayama Botanical Garden, Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture.

My husband is one of the Christmas Rose collectors, and he is currently growing more than 500 pots in our garden.

He wanted to display some from his collections at the event so he chose more than 100 pots from our garden two days ago.  One of the staff members at the municipal garden drove his truck to our house to pick up 100 pots of Christmas roses for their three-week--event.  

My husband and I drove to the place to prepare our floral display yesterday.  I had brought some rugs from our kitchen so that we can clean up dirt on the flower pots there.  We also wrote down the variety's name on each plate, and placed them on the long tables they had prepared.

We started the preparation after 11:00 a.m. and ended after 3:00 p.m.

My husband looked happy after finishing the arrangement.

More than 3 years have passed since he set up a group called "Himeji Christmas Rose Fan Club."  There seems to be approximately 20 members, most of whom are in their 60s.  Some of them are retired from their work.  The members' flowers are being displayed at the event.  However, none of them appeared at the site to help us yesterday.  Obviously, the members don't agree with my husband's policies for the group.

Some of his policies are as follows:

"The members can sell their flowers in local shops or online stores, but should not include the phrase, "I belong to Himeji Christmas Rose Fan Club."

"A member can donate his/her flowers to another member of the club but must not sell them."

Last year, he found out that some members had violated these policies and he dismissed them from the group.  My husband who majored in agriculture in a national university has been very particular about his thesis for flowers.

I don't really agree with my husband's policies for the group and I have got these ideas:

We should be grateful for the members that they have joined us.  Most of them are over their 60s who depend on their pension.  Some of them work part time because they still want some income.  They still have energy to grow their flowers.  In my opinion, growing their flowers in their garden and selling them would be more attractive.  If they plant flowers, there may have more chances of finding new varieties.  If they are beautiful, they will be sold at higher prices.  This could make them more motivated to live.  The club should act like a venue that provides new information for the trend and the popular color for the season. It may offer chances  to exchange opinions among its members.   He also should give other members the chance to express their ideas.  Setting up a bulletin board on the Internet exclusively to the members could be one option. If they make money from the club, it could be a group effort.  Make another project out of the profit.

I know if I bring up the issue to my husband, we may end up arguing seriously, so I'd rather not talk about it with him.  Growing Christmas rose is not my cup of tea because I don't like to water them, which take more than 3 hours or so in one time.  We have to water them at least twice a week in summer and once a week in winter season.  The maximum number of flowers I can take care of would be 5 or 6 pots only.

What I can only do is to help him one day out of 365 days, and that was yesterday.

Anyway, I was totally tired after the long hours of volunteer work.  I still hope that they will have many visitors in the botanical garden during the event.

Feb. 3 - Setsubun

February 3 was Setsubun, the new year eve from the old Chinese calendar, so we celebrated the day like the way Japanese people traditionally do. 

Some of the Japanese people eat dried soy beans on Setsubun.  The number of soy beans we can eat depends on our age.  For example, my husband ate 63 pcs. because he turned 63 years old two weeks ago.   If we follow that tradition, it is said that we won't catch a cold and will be healthy for the whole year.  

To drive out devils and attract Gods of fortune, Japanese people throw dried soy beans both indoors and outdoors while shouting, "Get out devils!  Come in Gods of fortune!"  It's called bean-scattering ceremony in Japan.  It's sad that some people in nowadays are getting too busy to do the tradition anymore. 

When I lived in the Eastern part of Japan ten years ago, I didn't know anything about "Ehomaki" or fortune suchi rolls tradition which people in the Western part of Japan eat as a Setsubun's supper.  In the recent 5 years or so, the tradition became known to all across Japan. 

Many grocery stores sold "Ehomaki" yesterday.  We bought the Ehomaki or fortune sushi roll at the grocery store yesterday.

Two rolls of Ehomaki

One for my husband and the other for myself

They are about 20 centimeters long.

The sweetened egg was tasty. 

Anago or conger-eel is our area's speciality. 

The fresh cucumber was crispy. 

According to the old Chinese calendar, good fortune comes from south south east for 2016.  So my husband checked the direction with his compass while I was preparing for the hot green tea.  As soon as the tea was prepared we both sat down looking at south south east and started to eat the rolls.  We also followed the tradition which is said that that we must not say a word before finishing the roll.  The quiet moment continued as long as 20 minutes because the roll was heavy to my stomach.  It took me so much time to finish it.  It sounded strange to us because we usually chat while we are eating together.

If you buy a package of dried soybeans at grocery stores in this season, they may give you a devil's mask on your request.  Japanese young fathers wear this mask so that small kids enjoy throwing beans at the devils.  You may also enjoy the ceremony if you visit famous shrines.   

The colorful crochet cap

I went to the Daiso, the 100 yen shop, and bought 6 pcs. of yarn with different colors. 

I feel chilly around my ears when I go outside these days so I wanted to make a cap for myself.

They are 100 % wool so I thought they are warm.  Even if the temperature reaches  5 degrees Celsius here in the middle of the day in February, I stay in parks for as long as 4 hours.

At first I crocheted  [kroh-shey-ed] 80 chains and made it into a circle.  It was about 56 centimeters circumference in size.

I made double crochet (or naga-ami) and made a long tube. 

It took me one hour to finish one colored crochet.  
I had six different colors, so it took me around six hours in total. 

colored (adj)  red, green, blue, etc. rather than transparent or black or white

Twist the middle.
The middle will be the top of cap.

Divide it in two. 
Leave the inside part longer than the outer part. 

Fold the inside part outward so that the bottom part will be three layers.

The picture shows:

(1) the brown goes inside 

(2) the green goes in the middle
(3) the yellow goes outside

(outward (Adv) away from the center of something, or toward the outside of it)

Now, you can see it as a cap. 
The pink color would be nice for girls.

It has three layers of 100 % wool in my ear part
because I feel colder around my ears.

I can also enjoy the varieties of color combination.

I put yellow, or the bottom part, outside.

This time I put the bottom part inside then the green appear. 

   

This way the pink color doesn't appear.
It may be suitable for boys.

   Very important :  The yarn itches. 
Please be careful for choosing yarns when you want to make a cap. 

The yarn itches. (verb) The yarn cause itchiness. (noun)
itch (verb) if a piece of clothing itches, it gives you an unpleasant feeling that makes you want to scratch your skin

I chose these colors which Japanese people call them "earth colors."
I like going to parks and forests for birdwatching.  I find many birdwatchers use earth colors for their clothes and bags as they try not to to be noticible to wild birds.    

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I am filled with these ideas now.  Field activities for birdwatching and handmade crafts indoors are keeping me busy this winter season.