Tuesday, March 31, 2020

My March

The month started out with almost no lessons for me. Now we are back on schedule. The following is a summary of my March.
1. Celebrated my birthday. Happy birthday to me and Happy am I!
2. Waxed all the floors in or house. This was the biggest news. I did them in the first half of March.
3. Reread "Alice in Wonderland."
4. Starting sending Quizzes to my adult students as the lessons are on hold (suspended) for the time being.
5. Started walking for exercise.
6. Did stretching every morning.
7. Saw our daughter get e new job. Happy are we!
8. Did stargazing almost every night. Learned more about the night stars.
9. Saw beautiful dawns, which included the moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
11. Attended one Kindergarten graduation ceremony.
12. Did not go to the gym at all, as it is temporarily closed. (May quit completely).
13. Doing makeup lessons for the kids ant our school on Sundays and during my free time.
14. Made up my mind to star teaching with Skype. Happy am I.
On stage before graduation ceremony.

Monday, March 30, 2020

Puzzler Answers



以下はスーパースクラブルパズルです。よく見ると、4つの空白のタイルが見つかります。 空白のタイルとは、何も書かれていないタイルのことです。それら空白のタイルは、ある単語の一部です。空白のタイルに、どの文字があてはまるかを考えてください。おわかりですか?答えは、ページを下にスクロールして下さい。GOOD LUCK

Below is a Super Scrabble Puzzle. If you search carefully you will find four blank tiles on it. BLANK means that nothing is written on it. But, they are part of the word. Try to determine what letter the BLANK tiles are. After you have your guess you can scroll down the page to find the answers. As always, GOOD LUCK.






















QUIZ                 STONE              COOLANT               AWNING


Sunday, March 29, 2020

Puzzler Hints

It's another Sunday, and more lessons today. Happy am I.
Puzzler Hints: CLICK HERE.

There is a new Home Project. Basically, it is a Tale of Two Stories.
1. Woe is me.
2. Happy am I.
They explain a situation in which you had a bad experience or a good experience.


The Guests of Honor



Friday, March 27, 2020

Super Full Moon Viewing

As you know, I've been watching the sky recently. The moon is the most intriguing (interesting/mysterious)). Why? Because it can be seen every day or night, weather permitting. This month, on March 9th and 10th, there was a full moon. Of course, I was eager to view it. One drawback (problem/demerit) with sky watching that you can only see the stars at night. This can be inconvenient. For example, I may be sleeping or relaxing or it's cold or windy outside. Yes, having fun is work! But I got lucky. It was cloudy when I went to sleep on March 9th. No chance of seeing the full moon. But, I woke up at 3AM the next morning. Why? Please imagine. I peeked outside. There was the full moon heading to the west and the horizon. I put on some clothes got my binoculars and went outside. Yes, It was cold BUT, I viewed the full moon in all it's glory! Beautiful! Then I went back to the warm comfort of my bed. Happy am I!

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Waxing the house Part 3

Our house is not big. The hardest part of the waxing project was moving the obstacles and putting them back. I also had to wax under the beds. That was a bit difficult. So, I started upstairs, waxing the hall and the stairway. The next day, I waxed the kitchen and the living room. Two days later I waxed two bedrooms upstairs. The following day I waxed the living room and behind the television. Then I did one final bedroom upstairs. Then I went back to one bedroom and touched up some areas that I couldn't do earlier. That was because there were a lot of obstacles. I estimate that it twelve hours to do everything. The last time that I waxed the entire (whole) house was four years ago. \And this was the third time. I may do it again. It was a lot of work, but now whenever I walk downstairs or enter a room, the first place I look at is the floor. How shiny! How beautiful! Happy am I!

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Waxing the house Part 2

The first problem was when to wax. I had to wax when it was convenient for all the members of the family. So, I waxed when thewy were sleeping or when they were not at home. I started early in the morning. I tried not to make too much noise. The first day I waxed the upstairs hallway. That was easy There are no obstacles to clear away. What are the obstacles? They are things such as furniture, boxes, baskets, lamps, television, etc. Here is the process:
1. Move all obstacles to one side.
2. Wipe the exposed (open) floor with the floor cleaner.
3. When it dries, with a damp (slightly wet) cloth.
4. When it dries wax the floor.
5. When it dries put all the obstacles back in their original place.
I did the work over five days. I used two buckets, three old towels, one wax applicator (it is like a broom).
Tomorrow I will tell you the order that I waxed.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Waxing the house Part 1

With all that free time in the last couple of weeks, I was bored. I had to do something. Of course, I watched the news and some movies on TV. I read Alice in Wonderland again, as well as doing some super scrabble puzzles by myself. (My father used to enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles by himself. I suppose we can say "Like father, like son." in this case). But I needed to do something constructive. That means that there will be a positive or lasting result. I had been thinking about waxing the floors in January. But it wasn't a high priority. That is, it wasn't really important. Actually, I had waxed all the floors in the house twice before; approximately every four years. So, with the free time that I had, it became an easy decision. I set to work the day after my birthday, March 7th. The project would last until March 15th.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Puzzler Hints

It's getting warmer, little by little. Happy am I.
Puzzler Hints: CLICK HERE.

There is a new Home Project. Basically, it is a Tale of Two Stories.
1. Woe is me.
2. Happy am I.
They explain a situation in which you had a bad experience or a good experience.


Frosted field



Saturday, March 21, 2020

Puzzler

Our school is back in operation after two weeks off. So far, so good. Happy am I.
Puzzler: CLICK HERE.

There is a new Home Project. Basically, it is a Tale of Two Stories.
1. Woe is me.
2. Happy am I.
They explain a situation in which you had a bad experience or a good experience.

The following pic is from a walk I took last week in my neighborhood.


Mooooo!







Friday, March 20, 2020

Higashi Kindergarten Graduation

I went to the Higashi Kindergarten this morning at 9:30 AM. They had their annual graduation ceremony. It was a shortened version due to the current situation. But all had fun. Especially, me!







Thursday, March 19, 2020

Fishing by Ken

Hello Rick and classmates,
How's it going today? This is my story below.
Do you fish? I like fishing and often go fishing. I went fishing at SUIJOKOUEN twice. Let me tell you about the story of fishing on February 22nd. 
It was the final day of the class. There were two of us that went fishing on that day. We were targetting ITOU; that is a kind of trout. It's a strong fish and if you hook it, they run much. I felt strong power twice but I couldn't hook it. The first time, my fishing line was broken by a fish. The second time my line unhooked. I believe that they were big ITO but nobody knows. It's under the water. Woe is me! I was outside for a while and I got four fish. I really enjoyed fishing and relaxed. Happy am I!




Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Trip to Tunisia by Kazuko Part 2

Food and Drink
"Oja" is the specialty of the country. It is a little spicy, tomato flavored soup. It has several kinds of vegetables and meat in it. I love it! The fresh orange juice and the mint tea were amazing as well.
Sightseeing
I visited some remains. Tunisia has a long history. It was originally a country called 'Carthage' built by Phoenicians. The country flourished before the Roman Empire era. The Romans defeated Carthage. They completely destroyed the city and built a new one over the ruins. A lot of ancient Carthage still sleeps underground. I felt a sense of romance.
Back at Narita
I made a blunder. I lost my passport after passing through customs. I noticed that immediately. I was searching for it when I was paged. What a relief! I was lucky. If it had happened abroad I could never find it. Happy am I!
Anyway, I came back home safe and sound. All's well that ends well.


Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Trip to Tunisia By Kazuko Part 1

To Narita
I got on a limousine bus to Narita airport as usual on February 19th. Surprisingly, I was the only passenger! So, the bus became a chartered one. I felt very sorry for the driver.
The Flight
I thought the airport would be empty. But there were more people than I expected even though it was late at night. I arrived in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, on schedule. It took about 23 hours in total including transit time. It's so far away!
Weather
It was fine almost every day. The sky and the Mediterranean sea were a beautiful blue. In the day time, it was warmer than Saitama. But from the evening to the early morning it was cold.




Monday, March 16, 2020

Puzzler Answers

Now this Monday, I certainly hope to get back to work fulltime.
Puzzler Answers: CLICK HERE.

以下はスーパースクラブルパズルです。よく見ると、4つの空白のタイルが見つかります。 空白のタイルとは、何も書かれていないタイルのことです。それら空白のタイルは、ある単語の一部です。空白のタイルに、どの文字があてはまるかを考えてください。おわかりですか?答えは、ページを下にスクロールして下さい。GOOD LUCK

Below is a Super Scrabble Puzzle. If you search carefully you will find four blank tiles on it. BLANK means that nothing is written on it. But, they are part of the word. Try to determine what letter the BLANK tiles are. After you have your guess you can scroll down the page to find the answers. As always, GOOD LUCK.






































ARC            EXTRA              OBEY/OKEY           FLAMING/FRAMING    

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Puzzler Hints

I was also heavy into waxing the floors in our house last week. They are sparkling bright! Puzzler Hints: CLICK HERE.

There is a new Home Project. Basically, it is a Tale of Two Stories.
1. Woe is me.
2. Happy am I.
They explain a situation in which you had a bad experience or a good experience.


Arcturus Japanese

Saturday, March 14, 2020

Puzzler

It's another weekend. The super full moon was so cool last week. Did you see it?
Puzzler: CLICK HERE.

There is a new Home Project. Basically, it is a Tale of Two Stories.
1. Woe is me.
2. Happy am I.
They explain a situation in which you had a bad experience or a good experience.


Finding Arcturus

Friday, March 13, 2020

The Night Sky

I got interested in the night sky this year. I studied it once before. Perhaps it was 15 years ago. And now I have returned to looking up at the sky. I have binoculars. I used them for bird watching. They can also be used for looking at the mountains or ships on the sea. I used to have very expensive binoculars. They had a special device to stop the shaking when using. I could see the moons of Jupiter with them. But the device broke. My new binoculars are good but they shake. Nevertheless, I can see the moon and many stars with them. Happy am I. Now I am more interested in the movement of the objects in the sky. I plan to watch different constellations as they appear during the year. I must watch regularly. I try to watch every night. So far, it is easy to see Orion. It is there every night and it is moving more westward every night, little by little. I also see the planets; Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn rise every morning in order. Excellent! And Venus sets every night before or after the moon. Beautiful! But the most impressive object is the moon. It is ever-changing and appears at different times every day. So cool.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

My plans for this year by Makiko

Recently, I have only a few motivations for studying English in front of the Olympics because I have no plan to go abroad or welcome foreigners.  At the same time, one of my Philippine friends sent me some videos. They were videos about the Czech Republic. 
My summer son (it means that he stayed at my home last summer so we call him that). He lives in Prague in Czech.  And I am looking forward to seeing him and his family someday. When I meet him, I want to fight by talking in English. In other words, I want to improve my English so that I can fight. All narrations in these videos were in English. 
I got motivated. Last week, my summer son’s mother sent me some emails. Happy am I !!  I’d like to see a lot of movies in English including these videos.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Laws from around the world by Hiromi 1

I watched an interesting TV program on NHK. I would like to tell you about this TV show. This TV program showed some of the laws made from around the world. I’ll give you 3 examples.

1.   Beautiful ladies must not go abroad without permission from a government. This law was made in Belarus.
What do you think about this law? What does it mean?
It protects young models. Belarus is a famous country for beautiful people. So Belarus has a lot of champions of Miss universe.
Some bad gays took her to abroad and they make her to work in a doubtful place.
In this case, the government protects her from crimes.

2.   A mailman must not look at the dog’s eyes.
This law was made in Great Britain.
What do you think about this law? What does it mean?
It protects a mailman from dogs. Because pet dogs are usually trained to attack strangers. But dogs mistook a mailman for a stranger.
So this law is the defense from dangerous dogs.

3.   The staff of a hotdogs car kitchen must not wear a sexy bikini.
This law is made in Florida.
What do you think about this law? What does it mean?
Once upon a time, a young lady worked in a hotdogs kitchen car. One day she suddenly noticed how to earn a lot of money.
If I wear a sexy bikini, many people would buy a lot of hot dogs. “ She tried it. After that, she got much money. But many drivers wanted to see her. So traffic accident increased in Florida.
This law kept traffic safety. 

I like this TV program. I would like to watch it again. And I recommend this TV show to you.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Oishi Kominkan Short Course

I received a telephone call from the Oishi Kpominkan last December. They were looking for an English teacher. They wanted to do a short course lesson for adults. The lesson would be on Monday afternoon. It would be from 1:30 to 3:00pm. There would be up to 20 students. This fit my schedule, so I accepted the offer. It began on January 28th with 20 adult students. It ended on February 17th. I knew two of the students. They were my students in the past. One was from the distant past. One was from the near past. And, to my surprise, my next-door neighbor attended! I didn't recognize her even though she came to my school, once. Anyway, the lessons went on in typical fashion. We had questions and answers. I gave then the usual Homework that I use on my BLOGs. We did a listening practice with a CD once. And finally, in the last lesson, we played Super Scrabble. That was the most fun. However, there were only 11 students. The Komoinkan people were all very nice too. And, one lady brought her grandchildren to my school for a sample lesson. They are hoping to join. I am hoping they join also.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Puzzler Answers

So, my birthday has come and gone. I'm looking forward to my next one.
Puzzler ANswers: CLICK HERE.

以下はスーパースクラブルパズルです。よく見ると、4つの空白のタイルが見つかります。 空白のタイルとは、何も書かれていないタイルのことです。それら空白のタイルは、ある単語の一部です。空白のタイルに、どの文字があてはまるかを考えてください。おわかりですか?答えは、ページを下にスクロールして下さい。GOOD LUCK

Below is a Super Scrabble Puzzle. If you search carefully you will find four blank tiles on it. BLANK means that nothing is written on it. But, they are part of the word. Try to determine what letter the BLANK tiles are. After you have your guess you can scroll down the page to find the answers. As always, GOOD LUCK.




































EVERY         DOLL/LOLL/MOLL/ROLL/TOLL     PIRATES   ENGINES/ENERGY

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Puzzler Hints

I think I'm gonna stay home again today and watch TV. BORING! Woe is me.
Puzzler Hints: CLICK HERE.
2020 Home Project

There is a new Home Project. Basically, it is a Tale of Two Stories.
1. Woe is me.
2. Happy am I.
They explain a situation in which you had a bad experience or a good experience.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Puzzler

I ended last month with a cold. Woe is me. I certainly hope I have better luck in March. Puzzler: CLICK HERE.

2020 Home Project

There will be a new Home Project starting next month. Basically, it is a Tale of Two Stories.
1. Woe is me.
2. Happy am I.
They explain a situation in which you had a bad experience or a good experience.


Adult lesson Tuesday night

Friday, March 6, 2020

Mask fuss by Kuniko

In my home, masks are a necessity for winter to spring. We all have hay fever. Recently, the masks have disappeared from stores due to the coronavirus fuss. The stock of masks in our house was running low. I went around to 4 or 5 different drugstores but found none. I looked into the drugstores almost every day but there were none. Then, the other day I was walking my dog. I saw masks being sold at a drugstore! Unfortunately, I didn't have any money on me (with me). I left my dog and ran home. I hurried up, got some money, and rushed back to the drugstore and bought masks. I lined up three times because each customer can buy only one box. Happy am I!


Thursday, March 5, 2020

Fan heater by Kyontan

I usually go shopping by bicycle when I stay at my parents' place in Hiroshima. Let me tell you about the most expensive thing and the biggest thing I carried on my bicycle this winter vacation. It was a fan heater. Let me tell you the story.
It was winter so I needed something to warm up my room. I asked my father if he had a fan heater. He answered that there was one in storage on the porch. It was packed neatly in a box so I took it out. It looked brand new. It was heavy. I carried it upstairs step by step. No sooner had I reached the top step when my father shouted to me that it didn't work very well. I pressed the on switch as a trial. Nothing happened. Woe is me. I decided to buy a new one. I cycled to a 100 yen shop to buy some rope. Then I went to K's Denki. There, I looked for the smallest one as I had to take it home by bicycle. As I was comparing them, a clerk approached and measured a few for me. Thanks to him, I was able to find the right one. Then he helped me bind up the box on my bike. He even used an extra rope. It was a little hard to control the balance of my bicycle because it had a seat for children on the back carrier. The store is a bit far. And, it was very awkward riding but I got back home safe and sound. Happy am I.  

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Woe is me....Happy am I by Noriko

Good morning Rick and everybody
What a beautiful sunny Sunday isn't it

How are you doing this weekend?
As you all knowthe The English lesson in Kenkatsu will be canceled for a while. Woe is me!?
And some of my plans in March will be canceled too. Woe is me again!

Yesterday, I was a little depressed.

The reason?
1. I wondered how to adjust my schedule this month. 
2. I had a stomach ache and headache this morning. Did I catch a cold?
So, I took some medicine and went to the futon immediately.
I woke up feeling good this morning. The good health condition makes me bright and cheerful. Happy am I!

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

A leap year

Do you know what a leap year? Here is one definition that I found on the internet.
First:
We say "leap year" because each date on the calendar jumps ahead two days of the week instead of one.

Leap year:
A year containing an extra day. It has 366 days instead of the normal 365 days.

Leap years occur every 4 years. 2020 is a leap year and so is 2024.

However, every 100 years special rules apply. For example, 1900 was not a leap year, but 2000 was.

The extra day is added in February, which has 29 days instead of the normal 28 days.

That is why I believe February, not December, is the end of the year. February is the only month with 28 days. All the other months have 30 or 31 days. And, we add the extra day to February.
Do you follow me?




Monday, March 2, 2020

Puzzler Answers

Well, here it is, March. The March equinox is this month as well as my birthday. Yeah! Puzzler Answers: CLICK HERE.

以下はスーパースクラブルパズルです。よく見ると、4つの空白のタイルが見つかります。 空白のタイルとは、何も書かれていないタイルのことです。それら空白のタイルは、ある単語の一部です。空白のタイルに、どの文字があてはまるかを考えてください。おわかりですか?答えは、ページを下にスクロールして下さい。GOOD LUCK

Below is a Super Scrabble Puzzle. If you search carefully you will find four blank tiles on it. BLANK means that nothing is written on it. But, they are part of the word. Try to determine what letter the BLANK tiles are. After you have your guess you can scroll down the page to find the answers. As always, GOOD LUCK.

































EVERY             DOLL/ROLL                PIRATE          ENGINES/ENERGY     

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Puzzler Hints

March starts this day. I'm gonna continue my stargazing and gym exercise. Not sure what else I will do. We shall see. Puzzler Hints: CLICK HERE.

2020 Home Project

There will be a new Home Project starting next month. Basically, it is a Tale of Two Stories.
1. Woe is me.
2. Happy am I.
They explain a situation in which you had a bad experience or a good experience. I will explain it in detail next month.


 I love this photo