Tokyo Olympics Museum, sukiyaki, February projects

February half way over, how can that even be possible?   Yesterday in the absolutely beautiful crisp sunshine I walked with a group of ladies to the Tokyo Olympics Museum.   You sign up ahead of time and there are strict social distancing measures.   The cost was 500 yen (about $5) and I must say, the museum was excellent - interactive, beautifully done, even quite moving.   It's so sad, COVID forcing the cancellation of this huge event for the city and for the world. 

So many thoughtfully presented details, like this infographic showing the participating countries by years (notice the gaps for 1916, 1980) 

Some of the wood used within the exhibits was from timber from trees planted by seed in Northern Japan around the 1964 Olympics.  Seeds from 44 countries.  How cool is that.  

The would-be Japanese team uniforms for 2020: 

Will the games go on, this summer?  That's the plan.... I hope so, for Tokyo's sake. 

Tokyo is gorgeous this time of year, with the fragrant plum blossoms on full display: 

And, honestly, the lack of crowds is pretty wonderful. 

Refreshing bamboo: 

I think I walked 3 1/2 hours total, and I was thoroughly wiped out and icing a sore knee last night, and it's worse today.  My walks are usually about 30 minutes long.  I'd like to build more stamina for walking.  I have this and that "complaint" I guess you could say and sometimes they add up to me having to be more sedentary or home bound than I would like.   

Lucky for me, David had planned dinner.  On Saturday night we'd had a fairly significant earthquake which really got our attention and prompted David to supplement our modest emergency gear with this tabletop gas burner which uses canned gas.  It is meant for indoor use and perfect for making sukiyaki at the table, which he did, and it was delicious!   Cabbage, spinach, mushrooms, tofu, carrot, leak, harusame (cellophane noodles), and thinly sliced beef bought that way at the grocery store.  The cooking liquid sauce is a mix of soy sauce, mirin, and dashi (broth).  We both eat steamed rice with it, and David adds a raw egg to his dish.

If you look up the old song "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto - a huge hit in the U.S. in 1963 - it's about a lonely man walking along, looking up and whistling, so that his tears won't fall.   The song has zero to do with actual sukiyaki.  It would be like naming a sweet sad love song, "beef stew."  lol.   They just named it that for a foreign audience.   It's such a catchy sweet song, very soulful.  You will love it and actually you may find that you recognize it.  

Oh ya, quilting.  I've just been slow and steady, working on various blocks.  

Project #1:.  I just love the slow and steady pace of Poppy's Polka Dot Garden from Sentimental Stitches.  Around the first of each month, I download the free patterns, stroll on over to my local 7-11 where I print them out.  Here are the latest - with one of the blocks vastly simplified and sashiko added to another. 

Project #2:  Barbara Brackman's Hands All Around BOM on Civil War Quilts.  Second Wednesdays of each month.  

I'm using indigo and Japanese tenugui - and popping some red into many of the blocks.  I'm making two of each, 12" blocks.  I'm not being perfectionistic.  Here are my blocks so far, two of each:  

I will alternate the blocks with a whole variety of blue and white tenugui which I have been collecting for some time. 

Project #3:  This darn Liberty Hexies quilt.  One more row of eight random hexie flowers to piece and attach.  I wish I could wave a magic wand and rearrange some individual hexies,  add more darks, add more punch, but, at this point I just want to get it done.   I'm trusting that I will end up loving it once it's quilted, for practical use and folded up over a chair.  

Project #4:  one of the Christmas quilts, stay tuned. 

If you are experiencing extreme weather my heart goes out to you!  Our daughter Kaela's family in Texas have been dealing with this for days - days of no hot water (frozen pipes surely), grocery stores closed, leaking roof, etc.   But we are SO THANKFUL they haven't lost electricity.  Tommy and his girlfriend are visiting them and their flight back to Utah has been canceled twice.  All we can do is advise and encourage over FaceTime.  

Charlotte is none the wiser and so cute waking up!  Kaela: "look Mom, Charlotte is finally old enough to sleep with her quilt in the crib!"  Melt my heart! 

xo gratefully - 

Cynthia 

p.s.  Tommy sent this shot of Charlotte (this quilt is one of my Stars in a Time Warp quilts, now being used/stored in "our" bedroom at Kaela's house).  Oh my goodness I just long to see her again.