2013 Handmade Christmas Presents

Hiroko received so many Christmas and Birthday Presents, but she forgot to take any photos.  Give thanks to all the friends and relatives who gave the presents to Hiroko.

Here are Hiroko’s handmade Christmas presents.

For this recorded cold weather these socks Hiroko made hopefully be useful for everyone who received.  7 or 8 socks were made for all men who came to the Christmas party to the home of Lisa/Dave.  A pair of socks was also given to Jesse, Dan-san’s niece’s husband.

Photo is not very good to take, so it is very hard to understand what they are.

They are scarves, and hiding fingers gloves.  Niece’s daughters were very happy to receive this scarf, and said “Thanks for this ‘eternal scarf’.”  Hiroko learned the name of scarf from them.

More eternal scarves for everyone, total 12 scarves were made.

It will be sub-zero weather from tomorrow (Jan. 22), so hopefully all these handmade knitting socks and eternal scarves are helping them to keep warm.

In this cold weather, Hiroko with her friend went to see the third opera, “Madam Butterfly” in this season.  

This is the hallway in Lyric Opera House in Chicago.  Everyone was wearing boots, and heavy over coat and hat.

Some ladies said with red eyes that this opera made her cry all the time.  Many are very happy to come to see this opera even though in this cold weather.  This opera made Hiroko exhausted.  Her friend told Hiroko you wouldn’t sleep tonight for haunted by Cio-Cio san.  It happen.  Hiroko closed her eyes to sleep, Cio-Cio-san’s singing and acting came to her.

These things haunted Hiroko’s heart that night:  Cio-Cio-san said she has to change her religion to her husband’s, Lt. Pinkerton and pledged her love to Pinkerton’s God at their wedding day; and no communication from Pinkerton for three years, Cio-Cio-san thought Pinkerton’s God would not answer to Cio-Cio-san’s prayer because she was far away from America, and Cio-Cio-san lost Pinkerton’s love and her baby boy, and only thing she can do is to kill herself, the Soprano, Patricia Racette sung and acted very well in the scene; reminded Hiroko’s heart over and over again.