6-10 - Dan-san’s Garden has been Filled, Christian Thoughts

Arboretum-san sent Hiroko various vegetable plants, so Hiroko was very happy to plant them.  It was raining so hard the night before, that it was very good day to put all those vegetable plants in the ground. 

This year, Hiroko didn’t make the porch garden.

Empty Porch Garden - 2 pots on the porch, Dan-san has been trying to raise big Japanese tomatoes using the seeds.

Taking the photos of the porch, the cute baby boy next door was smiling at Hiroko.   Hiroko couldn’t to pass this cute face.  Isn’t he sosooooooooooooo cute?

Ohya-san’s (Land Lady) porch garden - Her son told her not to raise any vegetable plants on the ground anymore, because she can’t take care of them by herself.  Her Grand-son bought her tomato plants in the special box for the porch, so she has been raising several plants on her porch.

This is whole back yard.  The building you see here is a three cars garage.  The east (left) side and the west side of the garden were filled with vegetable plants by Dan-san and Hiroko. 

The next three plants came from Arboretum-san

Nira ( leek)                               

Tomato (this belongs to Dan-san), and Shishi-to (Japanese pepper)

Akai Shiso (red perilla)

Midori Shiso (green perilla) - Only one Midori Shiso came out from the ground.  Where are all those midori shiso that were grown last year?  Hiroko needs the midori shiso!!

Green onion

These plants mentioned above are under the Hiroko’s care.

Dan-san takes care of all these plants mentioned below.

One jalapeño pepper and two sweet pepper plants on the east side garden

This is west side garden

Dan-san is watering the plants.

Red big tomato

Dan-san has been trying to raise the cherry tomato from seeds brought from Japan.

Cucumber – so many Japanese cucumbers came out from the seeds.

Three buds of green beans – this was also raised from seeds.

Hiroko can’t wait for the harvest day of all those vegetables.  Chicago is still cold, around 55 at night and 65 during the day time.  The Lake Michigan’s water temperature is only 56 degree, so it is cooler near the lake.  Hopefully the weather will be getting warmer for the sake of these vegetable plants.

Hiroko loves foods, so she has been thinking about what kind of food will be served at the banquet party in the heaven.   It should be lots of delicious and rare food.  She can’t wait for the day to have the party in heaven.

Hiroko has always remembered that the word said by many people about the Heaven..

He might have some thoughts in his mind the morning.  Seeing Hiroko, he said, “I want to go to heaven.  Hiroko, you are surely going to the Heaven, because you are very good person.  But me?!  I don’t know.”  It was so sudden, that Hiroko couldn’t say anything, but going to the heaven is not about being a good person.  In the word of God, the Bible, a person who goes to the heaven  is not about if a person is good or not, but whether if the person believes Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior or not.  Believing Jesus as the Lord Savior, the Lord God leads the person to Heaven.  ^“8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

Eating the lunch with this lady around the Easter, she said, “All my friends are in the hell, so I don’t mind to go to hell.”  Hiroko remembers the famous Japanese authors who said that.  Do they really think they don’t mind to go to the hell?  Hiroko grew up with these words from her mother.  If you tell a lie, Hiroko’s mother said to Hiroko, “the Judge of Hell (Enma-sama) will pull your tongue out.”  If you steal, then, “The Judge of Hell will chase you to the mountain of needles.”  If you say ill things to others, rumors, fighting, not listening or respecting the elders, acting bad, then, “The Judge of Hell will put you in the boiling oil pan.”  Hiroko thought in her young age, how she could get to the heaven/gokuraku, instead of hell.  Even now, Hiroko can’t live without sins, but thanks for the grace of God, Jesus as the Lord God and Savior.  Hell is a scarily and lonesome place where is no love.  “¹⁰And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.  Revelation 20:10 

Happy Occasion and Sad Occasion in Autumn, Nursery

Happy and Sad things were in the Autumn.

Well, let me tell you the sad thing.  It is funny to say “sad thing” but no more delicious fresh vegetables in Autumn.  It is sad.

There are no more cucumber and tomato plants.  Only sad looking green pepper plants are in the garden. 

Starting to wither are the Konnyaku plants, and trying to get matured cayenne pepper plants are in the Porch Garden.

No more delicious crunchy cucumber and delicious juicy red tomato to eat.

Hot, hot vinegar made with red cayenne pepper.  Putting this hot vinegar and cayenne pepper on the food makes very delicious.

Tsukudani made with cayenne pepper leaves.  It is very delicious eating this with rice

In the Japanese saying, Ogles will be laughing to hear talking of the following year things.  Let me make Ogles to laugh.  Hiroko can’t wait for 2014 summer to eat those delicious fresh cucumbers and tomatoes again.

Now, Happy things!

The Opera season has opened.  This year, Hiroko looked forward to see the Opera, because she would like to test her new eyes.  The first opera in this season was “Otello.”

This is the advertise board hung of the Otello on the wall of Lyric Opera House in Chicago.

No explanation for Otello by Shakespeare, but it is much better to be able to understand the lyric of the songs by reading the English subtitles.  Hiroko could not see any English subtitles last year, and everyone was laughing but not Hiroko.  It was so funny.  However, this year, you would not believe it.  No need to use the glasses to read the subtitle and understand everything.  Two days later of the eye surgery, the letter got blurred, but Hiroko could read them all.  It will be taking around 30 days to settle the vision of those eyes.  Hiroko appreciated so much for this new sight and those wonderful music and singers in the opera “Otello.”  Thanks again!

Since it was our dinner time after the opera, so Hiroko stopped at the restaurant called “Yokozuna” by the train station, and bought sushi called “Ozeki” for Dan-san, and for Hiroko “Una-don (eel-rice). 

Ozeki Sushi and Una-don.

The Sushi from this restaurant is very suitable taste to the Americans, so Dan-san was very happy to eat all those Sushi.  Hiroko has not eaten eel for a long time, so the food made Hiroko happy, too.

It was full-moon that night

It was a very big and beautiful moon, but Hiroko couldn’t take a good photo. 

At the both side of the moon, two airplanes were flying that looks like Venus and Mercury.

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.

It is the middle of May, there have been several warm and sunny days, so Hiroko planted all the seeds, 2 kinds of cucumbers, Taka-no-Tsume, and Thai pepper.

About one week passed, but 

No buds at all.  This is cucumber.  Do you think one cucumber bud?

Two kinds of hot pepper – no buds

Konnyaku potato placed in these two big pots and 7 small pots about 2 weeks ago, can you see anything in these pots?  Nothing! –sigh!  There are mints and freesia leaves also.

In the end of May, it has been cold, cold 50 degree days.  Because of this coldness there are no buds for none of these pots.  Hopefully many buds come out soon.

The owner of this apartment building had pneumonia a couple of months ago, and he has not been getting strong, so they can’t take care of the yard.  Well, Hiroko planted green onions at the same place the owner’s wife had always been planting onions.  They are taken root, and growing.  It will be hot around 80 degrees in the beginning of June according to the weather report, so Hiroko will make Soba Salad for the owner using these green onions.

This is red Shiso and green Shiso.  There are so many different buds in this area, and Hiroko is not sure between weeds and green Shiso, so it is hard to pull only the weeds out.

This is Dan-san’s garden.  He dug the ground and placed top soil on it.  The ground has been ready.  When does he put the seeds in, and plants? 

Dan-san bought cucumber, sweet pepper and hot peppers for himself and Lisa.

 

This is Lisa’s Thai hot pepper on her porch garden.  It looks nice.  Hopefully they can harvest lots of the Thai pepper.  Dave would like to make Vietnamese Chicken Curry with this pepper.

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Hiroko posted about Hawaii-san and Okinawa-san in the Recipe Blog, http://oishiikai.seesaa.net, with the title of “Goya, Friends Came from Far.”  They were here in the middle of May.  Please read it.

Hawaii-san posed like she was singing “Amazing Grace.”  Last year she sang the Hymn with a beautiful voice and feeling at Devon Church Leisure Group.  Hiroko would like to put her singing on the “YOUTUBE” but unfortunately Hiroko doesn’t know how.

Here is the Hymn of Amazing Grace

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind but now I see

“Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved,

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we first begun

The Cold, Cold Winter Is Coming to Chicago, Nursery

The vegetable gardens were ended in the middle of November.

Dan-san’s and Furukawa-san’s gardens have no vegetable plants anymore.

These are the last green peppers from Dan-san’s garden.  These peppers haven’t grown any bigger the last 3 or 4 weeks because the weather has been so cold.  It is done.

This is Hiroko’s next door neighbor’s enclosed porch garden.  Hiroko gave them Japanese cucumber plants, then, they grew the plants there.  It is amazing to know they harvested about a dozen cucumbers.  That is ending.

This is Hiroko’s porch garden.

The water in the bottom of the jalapeño plants pot was frozen.  The porch garden should be closed.

Hiroko cleaned up almost everything on the porch, except jalapeño.  The porch garden is done, too.  The snow will be piled up on this porch.

These rosemary and tea plants have to move into the house.

Hiroko will enjoy using rosemary as seasoning for cooking chicken.

How many years now?  This tea leaves plant given by Emaline’s father could be over 30 years at Hiroko’s place.  One winter Hiroko kept it in the enclosed front porch and forgot to bring inside on the below zero weather day.  The whole pot, soil and plant was frozen, so Hiroko thought the plant was dead.  However, the following spring the bud sprung out.  Emaline said this plant is very strong and loves water, so give it lots of water, and then it will grow by itself.  This plant loves the sunshine, so Hiroko will keep it a little longer on the porch.

Pineapple and green onion had already been moved into the house.  Kaori-san gave these onion plants to Hiroko and said that she never has buy the green onions.  Well, thanks to Kaori-san Hiroko uses lots of green onion for yudofu, noodle, ramen, etc. this winter.

The 2012 gardens are done.  Hopefully, 2012 garden will be good again.

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Hiroko thought that as the tea leave plant loves the sunshine, Hiroko wants to love the Lord.  How can we love the Lord?  Of course we should tell the Lord we love Him, and obey to His commandments.  What are His commandments?  Jesus gave the commandments, the first one is “Love your Lord,” and second one is “Love your neighbor as yourself.”