New Tulips in My Garden

Here are some tulips bloomed in my garden this spring.
These were the new tulips added to my garden last fall.
I was on vacation in Japan for 6 weeks and my husband took these photos for me.


They survived snow.


My favorite classic pink and red tulips.


These were interesting pointy shaped tulips.


Ducks loved the tulips.


This was a surprise. My husband found a duck's egg near to the tulips. Ducks' mother had abandoned the egg and never came back to the egg. After 3 days, the egg was gone. Probably, a fox or raccoon took it.

Happy New Year

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Frozen Water Fall in Idaho Spring, Colorado.

So Much in Nature

There's just so much in nature...
more than enough for a lifetime of discovery!

by Marjolein Bastin

Birthday Meditation at Mother Cabrini Shrine

Yesterday, my husband and I went for a walk along the lake in the park.
The pavement was still covered with snow. It was so crispy cold.
While walking on the pure white snow, I felt I was purifying myself before receiving my next birthday.

Today was my birthday.
I am fortunate to have friends who sung a happy birthday song for me.
I am fortunate to have a husband who took a day off in order to celebrate my birthday with me all day long.





For my birthday today, I asked my husband to take me to Mother Cabrini Shrine.
I love to take a private medication and prayer moment on my birthday.

Starting New Year’s Eve Cleaning

It is a custom for Japanese to do a big cleaning on the New Year’s Eve in order to celebrate the coming New Year.

I have started to clean and organize my rooms for the coming New Year.
With careful concerns for 3Rs, I have tried not to just “dump” stuffs in order to clean up my mess.
I love to get practical but artful ideas for how to organize my spaces from magazine articles and books.

I have read a book written by a Japanese organizing and cleaning expert who recovered from depression through cleaning up the mess in his house.
It is true cleaning brings me a feeling that I have started to work on my mess inside of myself as well.
Even a little bit visual progress to clean up the disorganized house brings me a positive feeling to refresh my life.

Happy Cleaning!

Lair O the Bear Park on Thansgiving Day

Hope everybody had a nice Thanksgiving !

1 Apple and 1 Lemon A Day

Do you have any advises for keeping strong and healthy body?

I have eaten an apple a day since a child without knowing a proverb, “An Apple a Day keeps the Doctor away.”
I am very happy that I started to be able to purchase fresh apples harvested this fall.
My favorite apples are Fuji Apples and Gela Apples.
I am so looking forward to baking apples pies!

Besides eating an apple a day, I drink fresh lemon water almost every day except during summer.
I am very happy that I started to be able to purchase fresh lemons as well.

Let’s stay healthy this winter!