Cleaning Ears, Life

Dan-san has been experiencing a hard time for hearing for last 5 years. He was told ear wax filled his ears at the hearing testing place, so went to the otorhinology.


This is his initial treatment room. The doctor used a small tool looks like Japanese ear cleaner. Hiroko screamed with surprise to see the wax taken out and rolled down on Dan-san’s shoulder. The doctor told Hiroko quiet, the hearing test is going on in the other room. Hiroko was shamed of screaming.


Can you see the three black dots in these photos? These were fall off from Dan-san’s ears. The big one was from his right ear, and another two were from his left ear. Wouldn’t you scream when you see these BLACK things fall off from the ears?

After the initial treatment, the doctor dropped some liquid in Dan-san’s ears, and let him wait 10 minutes to do final clean up in the other room, and then the hearing test. The person who performed the hearing test asked Dan-san that how long he has been suffering with this hearing problem. Dan-san told her about 5 years, she looked at him with smiling.


At the reception area Dan-san made another appointment 6 month later.
Dan-san has been using Japanese bamboo ear cleaner all these years.


These are the Japanese ear cleaners Dan-san and Hiroko own.
If these ear cleaners are not working to clean the ears, Hiroko should be thinking to visit cleaning her ears at the otorhinology. She was using the same type of a ear cleaners.

Well, finally, Dan-san was seriously thinking about purchasing the hearing aids. The hearing aids are very expensive - $4,000 to 6,000 for both ears, and it seems not working. Many Dan-san’s friends who are wearing hearing aids do NOT hear well.

Please take care of your ears.
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Bible tells us in Genesis 1:26, 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

How amazing a human body is! Look at your whole body. Even these small ears are contained very delicate structures. It is wonderful and amazing.

Have you ever thought about how a baby is conceived and the baby is born at the certain time. It is one of the big miracles.

Hiroko meditates on these thoughts, and then, she can’t think the human being is progressed from a monkey. Can you?

Please leave your opinions or comments. Thanks!

Winter Is Here

Finally, winter reached Chicago. The blue sky and warm (50 degree) weather days are over. Until January 11, Chicagoans, except children and dogs, enjoyed the early spring like weather. Then, the change came over night.

On January 12, the sky changed into gray, and cold, cold (20 degree) morning we experienced. From the sky, white things were falling down.

The warm blue sky, and the cold gray sky and snow was falling

Officially 4.9 inches snow fall, but some areas were 8 inches.




It was a cold and snowy morning. Instead of walking exercise, we did snow shoveling. The pictures of many children and dogs playing, making a snowman, throwing snowballs, and running around in the snow, were shown on TV.

Squirrels’ nests were found when those pictures were taken.

Can you point out the squirrels’ nests? Hiroko has always been wondering why a squirrel makes their net on the top of the branches. For protecting from the intruder, making many nest to appropriate the temperature.

Hiroko looked for the information in the internet about a squirrel making nest on the tree top.

These photos are borrowed from Google Image.

There are two types of squirrels. One is called the tree-squirrel and other is ground squirrel. According to Art Shomo, the editor of West Virginia Wildlife and a public information specialist stationed in Charleston, there are 365 species of squirrels in seven families.

The special features of the tree squirrel are having a thick bushy big tail, eating seeds, nuts, mushroom and small insects, and keeping the seeds under the ground. They do not hibernate even though they live in the area of cold. They leave their nest in the early morning and look for their food and return to the nest early evening. Hiroko noticed that there are no squirrels after 2 or 3 P.M.

On the other hand, the special feature of the ground squirrel are short tail, grass eating animals, living in the hole digging at the glass or sand plain. Some are living in the high mountain. Many of the ground squirrels hibernate.

Please read the interesting article about squirrels at http://wvdnr.gov.wildlife/magazine/archive/04Winter/clumps_of_leaves.shtm

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Here is interesting story in the Bible, God who created the seasons is controlling the weather.

Mark 4:35-41 Jesus Calms the Storm
35That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Please leave your comments if you have any questions or your suggestions.

2011 Christmas Celebration

2011 Christmas fall on Sunday. It was very wonderful to do public Worship Service with man other Christians on the Christmas day. Almost every 5 years Christmas falls on Sunday.

On this Christmas Sunday, many Christmas carols and Hymns were sung to our Lord God, because many children were worshipping together with adults. After singing those praise songs, “Charlie Brown and Christmas” was shown.

The main idea of the story is:
“Charlie Brown and his friends decided to have a Christmas tree for their play. Charlie Brown and Linus left for the tree market to get the tree, and chose little tree. They return to the school auditorium with the tree and everybody laughs at Charlie Brown, especially Lucy. Charlie Brown begins to wonder if they really know what Christmas is all about, loudly asking the question in despair. Linus quietly says he can tell them, and walks to center stage to make his point. Linus quotes from Luke 2:8-14.
‘8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Charlie Brown now realizes he does not have to let commercialism ruin his Christmas, and quietly picks up the little tree and walks out of the auditorium. The rest of the gang, having also heard Linus’ recitation, began to realize they were a little too rough on Charlie Brown and have quietly followed him from the auditorium. Linus goes up to the little tree and gently props the drooping branch back to its upright position, ornament and all, and wraps his security blanket around the tree. The kids then start humming the Christmas carol, ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ and give him a rousing ‘Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!’”

After finishing to show the Charlie Brown, Pastor preached the meaning of the symbols of Christmas tree. i) ever green has been used for Christmas tree. The word of ‘ever’ makes Christian to realize ‘everlasting life’ given by the grace of Jesus Christ ii) lights on the tree let Christian to know the Light of Jesus Christ, and all Christians should be the light of the world, iii) the ornaments, a star or an angel, on the top of the tree: Angel is a messenger of the Lord God who announced the birth of Jesus Christ to the shepherds, and the star guided three wise men to Baby Jesus and presented the gifts, gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of deity, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death.
As the followers of Jesus Christ, we’d like to meditate what we should do in 2012 to pleasing the Lord Jesus Christ God.

After the church, our annual Christmas pot-luck dinner was held at the home of Lisa and Dave as usual.

Ham and gyoza in the Hiroko’s oven were ready to go.


Christmas cactus

On the Lisa’s kitchen window shelf, Christmas cactus has always been blooming on Christmas season.

Tablecloth and runner for Christmas

Nativity scene and “Merry Christmas” runner for the coffee table
Many had already seen these runners. Hiroko used this for her Christmas greeting on her blog.

Santa Clause, snowmen, Christmas tree, reindeer, etc runner for the kitchen table

Appetizer table

Many dips and cheese for vegetable and crackers as usual. One different dip, instead of artichoke, there was new barbecue chicken dip.
 
Near and far family members:





Here and there, people was talking, watching TV, showing their presents, etc. The big news of Steven/Amanda’s marriage this coming June was the talk among girls.

Dinner

Tenderloin and Ham

Vegetable – String beans mixed with bacon cream
and cauliflower mixed with butter and milk cream

Rice and baked potato with lots of butter

Dessert table

Cream cheese cake, strawberry cake with whip cream, rice crusot, apple pie

SORRY! Dog

He can’t eat any table food.

Last 10 or more years, there is no change among the people (additional people), and no change for the menu. Many people have no job in Chicago area and have no food to eat on this holiday season.
Thanks for the health in our family
Thanks for foods on the table
Thanks for everyone’s job
It was good to hear Dan-san gave many, many thanks to our Lord God before our dinner.