Gardens, Nursery

It is the end of August.  In Chicago, the temperature has been 90 degree.  It is very hot.  This year, 2013, the weather was very strange.  There were lots rain in June, so the most cucumber plants were melted (destroyed) in the rain, but we had the comfortable temperature around 65 to 70 degree during July and beginning of August.. The weather was very wonderful while Hopechan was here.  Hopechan was very lucky.  After Hopechan left for Japan, the temperature in Chicago has been very hot.

Well, has this weather affected the plants, or the seeds of plants were bad?  It is a question?

These are Hiroko’s four cucumber plants, one from Japanese cucumber seed, was survived in the rain, and other three plants were bought from nearby nursery.  There is no cucumber on these plants until now, August 25.  Hiroko is thinking to clean up, but may be waiting for this hot temperature has passed.

Same as these hot pepper plants, Taka-no-Tsume (Cayenne peppers), and Thai red peppers.  There are no fruits at all. 

Only these Konnyaku plants, Stinky plants, are doing very well.

These are Dan-san’s garden.

Dan-san had hard time getting his usual cucumber seeds and plants, so he bought these cucumber seeds and plants from nearby Nursery, and planted them couple weeks after the Memorial days.  He has harvested Japanese cucumbers and Asian cucumbers from these cucumber plants.  Asian cucumber is fat but very crunchy and tasty, and Japanese cucumber is thin and long as Hiroko used to harvest one.

These are ground green beans.  Dan-san and Hiroko enjoyed the beans three times.

These tomato plants has been giving Dan-san, Hiroko and others lots of delicious tomatoes.  Hiroko has already put some of them in the freezer for using in the winter.

This is Land-lord’s cucumbers and tomato plants.

Only one cucumber was harvested, but because of this hot weather, Hiroko sees couple of small, small thin cucumber on each of the plants.

Tomato plants are doing very well. 

These are green and red Shiso.

The plants are not growing big and tall, but there are very good amount of leaves.  Hiroko shares these leaves with Japanese restaurant.  One package, about dozen or so leaves, sold in Mitsuwa around $1.00.

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Hiroko wants to write about why the weather was so strange.

Japanese Department of Hiroko’s Church, Devon Church was closed on March 31, because of retiring of Japanese Pastor and decreasing membership.  Some of the members started to attend the English Section.  Hiroko has been translating Pastor Carlini’s sermon every Sunday.  He will be speaking Psalm 22 on this Sunday, September 1. 

Psalm Chapters 21 and 22 are connected Psalms.  David wrote these two Psalms in which David expressed that his trust to God, and then God’s such blessing to David.  Especially in the Chapter 22, David sung, he trusted and God answered with His blessing of victory.  The ending half of Chapter 22 described that David gave praise and thanks to God, and then, God inspired David to see the future of the world in this praise and thanks.  It is called Eschatology.

Many sentences and words from this Psalm 22 were used by Jesus Christ in His suffering.  The verse 6-18 described the Lord Jesus’ suffering, and 22-29 were mentioned Eschatology and the Millennium Kingdom.

Pastor Carlini suggested reading Luke 21:5-26 for further explanation of Eschatology by Jesus.  The changing of the Universe and the weather were mentioned in these verses.  Revelation, Daniel and many other prophecy books are described further more detailed Eschatology.  You can be realized in these Bible verses that one of the sign for Eschatology is unusual weather.

God’s plan for the human salvation was mentioned in Genesis Chapter 3, and after that there are mentioned Eschatology on the many books in the Old Testament and New Testament.  Why the Eschatology is so important?  God made the human being, and in order to love the human being, and to communicate with the human being, let the human being to know the God’s love, grace and compassion through the Eschatology stories in the Bible.

If you want to read the Pastor Carlini’s Sermon, Psalm 22, please go to Devon Church’s web-site:  www.devonchurch.org

He has already spoken the book of Daniel and Revelations, so you can read those books, too.