1 more which is really 4, regardless Ichiro is the jolliest little guy (with mama Ryoko Olson)
“Top o’ tha Morn to ya pals” says Ichiro on the go…
Ichiro, “the Jolliest” & “Top o’ the morning”
Images
Memo: all the mediums, all at once, any time
Painting, Letter writing, Collage, Podcasting, all at once. Totally usual behaviour right?
Stories are stories – the important this is to create and then share (if’n ya want).
Be your own master of all crafts/media.
Memo: a fork in the spoons
Sometimes life’s circumstances create conundrums – a fork in the spoons, (he says, mixing metaphors). So when I need to sort the spork out, I come here, talk to the ancestors, do some walking meditation, light incense, wash graves and see if *the* path presents itself or, *a* path anyway, a *middle* path perhaps.
Note: I like to think about the stories behind the stones. And here in Japan, pour water on top of the graves, light incense – clap & bow.
PS in this case, this is grandpa Ichiro (died at 49 yrs old many years ago) and grandma Tomiko who died just after our Ichiro was born.
We’ve had a lot of wind storms recently so I like to tidy up their little area though I neglected to take some fresh flowers this time.
Our house is just behind the cemetery so you can kind of see the hills and green space behind us
Memo: tree, roots, wall, rock, house…
Sometimes the tree and the roots and the wall and rocks and the house are all the same thing.
Post’d: Condolences and Thanks (on new letterhead!)
A little stack of letters for the post including three of condolences of loss, and two of thanks for contributions to my “stamps and ink” fund via buy me coffee – all of them are written on my [exciting] new homemade letterhead with my engraved 50th birthday present fountain pen.
{I even tried some cursive writing which rendered my already squiggly writing as almost incomprehensible but hey, something about the thought matters…}
Noting not really sending festive cards per se but I’m *always* sending cards and letters so every day is festive, right?
Fondly from Tsuchida cottage
PS eventually you might see what’s in the “Kraft Scrap Note“ book or maybe that will be my special reservation only… It’s kind of special #Mom
Hopefully made the 2PM cutoff time (was a few minutes late but ya never know…)
Post’d: Still life with postcards and tea (Sri Lanka – formerly Ceylon)
Still life with postcards, inky stamps, cup of tea, bowl of nuts / was making up for some poor decisions at the time by (trying to) spread love out into the world. Hope it worked. Did you receive one of these treats?
Note: some fine postcards hand-painted/reated by Rasika Udaya Kumara.
Snaps: “Ichiro On Board” at Tsuchida Cottage
2 heads are…
(Note: tracksuit, pappa’s uniform)
photo by mamma Ryoko Olson at Tsuchida Cottage
Dave and Ichiro at Tsuchida Cottage kitchenEven more more cute! Amazing Ichiro Stanley with mamma Ryoko Olson / clean-up Saturday funtimes at Tsuchida Cottage
Ichiro and Ryoko at Tsuchida Cottage ofuro (bath)Ichiro: cards #61~65 “5ive Set / Farm, Minako, Canadian, Rice, Superstar” 12.2~9.2020
5 – count ’em 5ive – new #Ichiro cards for your on-going collection from early Dec. 2020 (Reiwa 2), series includes:
Cool Yule You Lovelies (with Mom)
Note: the plaid anorak, the sunglasses, the hair, the smile – love love love all of it Mom (so much like you sometimes)
Post’d: usual dossiers of art, poetry and ephemera (and tea)
The usual, ergo:
dossiers of art, poetry and ephemera
scrapbooks of same(ish)
piles to Post offices.
Also tea.
PS I enjoy this sort of activity on many levels for sure, i.e.: find playing with scissors and glue and pens very pleasant and, like the thought of spreading a little bit of goodness to various places around the world and, going to the post office gives me a little manageable errand.
I have a hard time getting “out and about” and really have to minimize screen time so this allows me to communicate and create and keep my brain active.
In these dossiers, i included prints of my paintings, bits of poetry, various insta snapshots, and letters on expired aerograms etc.
Enjoy the goodness / (of course) my address is available and you can sign up for Postal Club. I hope you hang on your fridge or put in a shoebox.
Ichiro: card #60 “Child Prodigy-ish” 12.1
Won’t say he is *concert-ready* quite yet but he’s using fingers not fists, posture is solid, chord shapes developing… another couple months he should be ready for Okayama Symphony Hall.
Will let you know when tickets go on preorder.
Ichiro: card #59 “Generations of Fujitas”(in Tsuchida) / 11.28
These shining lights continue to connect the centuries of culture & community The family gravestones go back so far the words are obscured / we wash (sometimes), light incense (Nag Champa in this case), clap and bow + bit of a conversation > In this case, namesake Grandfather Ichiro & Grandmother Tomiko’s ohaka / note: this “ohaka” has served as an important destination and part this year’s actions as documented in this archive.