Stinky Flower – Konnyaku Flower

The spring is coming to Chicago.

The beginning of March, the bud of the stinky flower sprung out.  The stinky flower is bloomed only spring.

On March 20, the bud grew and grew every day - 2 to 3 inches each day.

It is the end of March, when is this bud going to bloom? 

One day, it was very beautiful sunny and warm day, Hiroko moved the stinky flower to the porch.  It seems the stinky flower was opening.  It smells little bad, but not so bad to call the flower stinky flower.

Sun light and warm temperatures might have helped to bloom the flower.  The flower is getting loose and opening a little.

At last, the flower fully bloomed on the Easter Sunday.  The flower is opening wider and wider, then, the smell is getting stronger and stronger.  Hiroko didn’t think it was so stinky.

This is the first year for the potatoes of the stinky flowers.

This is the 4^th year potatoes.

It has taken 5 years to get big like this potato, 8 inches.  From this potato the flower bloomed. 

From these potatoes, Japanese make the food called Konnyaku.  It is very hard work, so Hiroko decided to buy the Konnyaku from Mitsuwa, and enjoy the stinky flowers.

Hiroko wondered the God Creator made this flower during His creation.  Whether it is made by God or not, and it surely smelled, but Hiroko feels sorry for this flower, giving the name like “Stinky Flower” to this beautiful purple colored flower.

What do you think?  There is worse name than Stinky found in the WikipediA, The Free Encyclopedia

Amorphophallus titanum (from Ancient Greek amorphos, " without form, misshapen" + phallos, "phallus", and titan, "giant" ), known as the titan arum, is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. The titan arum's inflorescence is not as large as that of the talipot palm, Corypha umbraculifera, but the inflorescence of the talipot palm is branched rather than unbranched.

Due to its odor, which is reminiscent of the smell of a decomposing mammal, the titan arum is characterized as a carrion flower, and is also known as the "corpse flower", or "corpse plant" (Indonesian: bunga bangkai – bunga means flower, while bangkai means corpse or cadaver).  For the same reason, the title "corpse flower" is also attributed to the genus Rafflesia which, like the titan arum, grows in the rainforests of Sumatra.

（Borrowed from WikipediA, The Free Encyclopedia） 

2013 Easter - Please read it.

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It was a good Puppet show played at the Easter Sunday Service.  One of the boy puppet was looking for Easter.  He thought no one celebrating and take day off for one pound chocolate bunny, Easter is not for pet-shop owner, and also is not for get-together to have good time.  Finally, he found out the Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hiroko learned the important fact that if there is no death, no resurrection, so it is very important to remember Jesus was in the tomb.  Jewish customs that the burying the dead body in the tombs was the confirmation of the person’s complete death.  Jesus was dead.  It is very important, without Jesus’ death there is no forgiveness of human’s sin.  Jesus’ death was confirmed by the buried body in the tomb.  Now, the resurrection has more meaning.  Yes, Jesus Christ was coming back from death, resurrection. 

Hallelujah!  Thanks!  Praise the Lord!

I Corinthians 15:1-8  The Resurrection of Christ

1Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  ²By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

³For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.  ⁶After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  ⁷Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.