Monday, March 26, 2007

Radio ラジオ


My colleague gave me another advice for preventing senile desease from my mother. Radio is very good for the elderly since radio stimulates brain function and enhance imagination. This comment threatened me. Because she was grumbling about her radio being broken. I did not pay too much attention to that. Having learned what good the radio does to my mother, I rushed to buy a new radio. The simplest one to handle would be good for her. I bought one like the photo and set it up in her room. But my mother had already lost lots of interest in radio listening. She did not like the idea that I push her to listen to the radio. Today, however, my mother put the radio at her pillow and sleeps with it. Hope it will do good for her brain function.
私の同僚が又いいアドバイスをしてくれた。ラジオは想像力を高めるので認知症予防に良いと教えてくれた。これを聞いてちょっと私は慌てた。母が、だいぶ以前にラジオが潰れたと私に訴えかけていたのを無視していたからだ。それ以来ラジオを聴いていない。慌てて、電気屋で簡単に操作できそうな写真のラジオを買った。が、すでに母はラジオへの興味はなくしていた。又、私からの押し付けも嫌がる。なかなか聞いてくれない。色々な努力の結果、母は、再びラジオを聴いてくれるようになった。枕元において小さな声で聞いている。やれやれ....

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Crunching


My colleague gave me a bag of Japanese crackers. Japanese crackers require crunching and munching a lot as they are hard to bite. He advised me that munching stimulates brain. Progress of Alzheimer will be slowed down. I was not sure if my mother would eat the Japanese crackers. I just placed the bag on the table. I noticed that my mother ate some of the crackers. I found similar crackers at a supermarket. I bought them and left them on the table again. She ate them again. I bought another bag and put it on the table. Finally, my mother mentioned to me,"you like the Japanese crackers!" Well, it is not a good sign. Once she recognizes that her daughter loves something, she will not take the daughter's favorite away. I need to change my strategy.
同僚から少し硬めのおかきを母にと頂いた。おかきなど固いものを食べると良く噛んで食べないといけないので、噛むことで脳を刺激し、認知症の予防になるとアドバイスを頂いた。もらったおかきを母は食べてくれるか心配だったので、さりげなくおかきの袋をテーブルの上に置いていたら、知らない間に食べていた。同じように硬そうなおかきをスーパーで見つけ、買って又テーブルの上に置いていた。又、知らないうちに食べていてくれていた。又、買いに行って又テーブルの上に置いた。ついに、「あんた、おかき好きやな。」ときた。母は、娘の好きなものは食べない。少し作戦変更だ。

Sue drew me.


Sue is an artist. She can draw portraits anytime while we are chatting. She drew me myself. This is my first portrait ever drawn in my life.
I wonder where they are now. I wonder which part of the world they are sailing right now...
Sueは芸術家でちょっとした時間があれば手が動き人の絵を描いている。私自身のポートレートも生まれて初めて描いてもらった。結構お気に入りだ。ところで、彼らは今どの辺にいるのだろうか。どのあたりを航海しているのだろうか。

Monday, March 19, 2007

Bon voyage - Andy's Kids

Iaona and Kier are sitting in the cabin of the yacht. They are chatting with their school friends in the UK through their computors. They are going to go under homeschooling program with their parents. Such system is very rare in Japan. The world travel on the yacht itself will be valuable education for them.
イアオナとキアはヨットのキャビンに座ってイギリスにいる学校の友達とコンピュータでチャットをしている。彼らは1年間学校をスキップすることになるが、いわゆる、ホームスクールを受ける。このような、システムは日本にない。ヨットでの世界一周の旅そのものが本当にすばらしい学習になるだろう。

Bon Voyage! Andy and Sue

Andy and Sue are planning to travel the world with his family on his newly bought yacht. The targetted date of departure was on March 10th. They should have already left Florida to Venezuela. When this photo was taken, they were at the last stage of preparing for the trip by purchasing equipments for the yocht and stuff for the long travel.


AndyとSueは家族とヨットで世界一周旅行を計画している。3月10日を出発の日と決めた。もうフロリダからベネズエラに向けて出発しているはずだが。この写真を撮ったときは、未だヨットのパーツや長旅の為の様々なものを買ったり最終準備をしているところだった。

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Bon Voyage! Andy's family

Andy Byatt's family
Met them at Sandy and Tim's house in Florida in Feb/March 2007. Tim involved in Andy's film making for Planet earth and Blue Planet. His film was aired on BBC in the UK and NHK in Japan.

Andy Byattさんのご家族に2月の旅行時にサンディとティムの家で出会った。アンディのフィルム作りにTimが関わったのが出会いのきっかけだ。アンディのフィルムはBBCやNHKで放映された。

Sandy & Tim's Family


Sandy with her beloved father and her aunt. Her father is now 86 and her aunt 81. She is as old as my mother. In spite of their ages, they are so sharp. He is now investigating his genealogy at home by using a computor.
サンディの愛するお父さんと叔母さん。お父さんは86才で叔母さんは81才。ちょうど私の母親と同い年。結構な年にも関わらず彼ら二人ともかなりシャープである。お父様は毎日お家で自分の家系図を調べてコンピューターに記録を残していっている。

Sandy & Tim's Family

This is Dutchess. She was shy or fearful to people for a long time. But now, she is used to people. It is presumed that Dutches must have been abused by her previous owner. Having known that, I feel dear to her more than any other dogs at Sandy's.

彼女の名前はダッチェス。長い間、彼女は人間不信気味だったが、いまでは、人間をもう恐れなくなった。恐らく、彼女は以前のご主人様にいじめられていたのではないかと考えられている。そんな過去を持った彼女。よりいとおしく感じる。

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Sandy & Tim's Family



Hurricane Frances hit Stuart Florida in 2004 and
Hurricane Wilma again hit Stuart FL. Oct 24.05. Sandy and Tim's house also had a sever damage. Fish in the aquarium had gone. The fish in the replaced aquarium were collected from scratch. (Requires confirmation of the name of hurricanes and the year the hit.)



2004年ハリケーンフランシスと2005年ハリケーンウイルマが2度にわたりサンディとティムの住む家を襲った。水槽の魚は安全の為開放され、現在の水槽の中の魚は、始めから自分達で集めたものだ。(ハリケーンに関する情報は再確認を要する。)

Sandy & Tim's Family


Forgot the names of those macaws....



World Parrot Trust Japan
World Parrot Trust




Blue-and-yellow macaw.
瑠璃金剛インコ

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Sandy & Tim's Family


Hores is eating breakfast. Crogmire is taking Hores for a walk. There should be another tortoise but he is hiding in a box.


食事中のホーラスと散歩中のクログマイア。もう一匹亀がいるが、箱の中に隠れている。



Crogmire (Foreground) & Hores (Background)

Sandy & Tim

Sandy
Visiting Sandy & Tim's house was a surprise to me. I have never seen a house like theirs where so many pets live together - four parrots, five dogs, three tortoises and fish in three large aquariums. Sandy is a former pilot. Tim is a skipper. He knows a lot about fishing and others. One of his hidden talents is to talk to aligators.
(Photo: Good night hugs by four dogs, Carnel Clink, Forkker,
Blitzkerez and Sargent Shultz to Sandy on her bed. Tim pulling
a stone crab box onto his boat.)
Tim
サンディ とティムの家程驚かされた家はない。ペットが沢山。オウムが四羽、犬が五匹、亀三匹と大きな三台の水槽の中には魚達が... サンディは元パイロット。ティムは漁船の船長さん。彼は釣に関してのみならず何でも博学である。鰐と話もできる。(写真はサンディとお休み前の四匹の犬の戯れ。蟹釣の仕掛けを引き上げるティム)。

Monday, March 5, 2007

Fruit Salada


D's Recipe
Dice available fresh and canned fruits and mix with Popy Seed dressing. According to former pilots, Popy Seed dreessing will bring a positive result in a drug test.


季節の果物や缶詰の果物をさいの目に切って、ポピーシードドレッシングで和えるだけ。(ポピーシードドレッシングは日本では手に入り難い。が、内容物は、オイル、砂糖、水、玉葱、ポピーの種、粉ワサビ等。日本で入手できるクリームドレッシングなどでも代用可能。元パイロットの話では、このポピーシードドレッシングを使ったサラダを食べた後で、ドラッグテストをすると引っかかるとのこと。

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Tamale Pie


D's American Family Recipe
1 Lb. Hamberger (grinded beaf)
1 Cup Chopped Onion (250 cc)
1/2 to 1 Cup Bell Pepper diced
3.8 oz Can Sliced Black Olives
Small Can Sweet Corn
15 to 29 oz Tomato Sauce
Garlic smashed or diced per your taste
1 Package Chili or Taco Seasoning
4 to 8 oz Shredded Chedar Cheese
1 Box Corn Bread Mix
Extra Corm Meal on Standby

Start cooking hamberger. When 1/2 done, add Bell Pepper.
When 3/4 done add onion.
When Done, drain off any excess liquid.
Transfer all to a larger container.
Add tomato sauce, olives, corn, garlic, and seasoning.
When everythin is heated add the cheese.
When cheese has melted, check texture.
If the mix appears too runny, stir in corn meal to thicken.
Pour finished mix into baking dish.
Pour cornbread batter over the top.
Spread evenly and into corners.
Bake at 350 degree Farenheit till topping is golden brrown.
Toothpick cornes out dry.
Approxmiately 35 to 40 min.