We are the Hayman family....a very
different kind of family. This is a story about an international couple, who are
not working in the conventional sense, with kids that are being home educated,
existing mostly free from the constraints of society, and spending 24/7
together, while dealing with climate, cultural, and personal challenges, and all
guided by our family motto, Taking Chances, Making Changes, Being Happy. These
pages are all about our interests, thoughts, and anything else which seems
noteworthy. Thank you very much for joining us on our ongoing adventure.
Learn more about us.
My son Shai made his first documentary. This is about Bizen pottery, or
Bizen-yaki, which is celebrated as one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns and stands
apart for its unglazed, earthy surfaces that gain their beauty directly from
fire and clay. This project really means a lot to him.
PLEASE WATCH AND COMMENT....THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!
For more detailed information about the process consider reading the following: The Cultural Roots of Japanese Pottery The Identity of Bizen Pottery
Thoughts - America A Few Thoughts
The “thoughts” section of my blog was mostly inspired by the
2016 presidential election and the turmoil which Donald Trump created during his
four years as president of the United States of America. Then in 2024, the unthinkable happened. Continue
reading....
Thoughts - America Jews and Japanese
A bit of explanation is required before you begin reading.
I am Jewish and my wife is Japanese and our kids are being
raised with knowledge of holidays and customs connected to
both cultures. The possibility of a connection from long ago
is nothing less than fascinating. Continue
reading....
Thoughts - America Sheeprole
Meaning
A new word was needed to describe the transformation of
present day "sheeple" society into what is surely becoming a proletarian
society. I came up with the obvious choice "sheeprole" which is a portmanteau of
"sheeple" and "prole" which is a member of the working class. With a bit of help from AI, I came up with
this page. Continue
reading....
Thoughts - America Trump
Wants Greenland
With all of the immoral actions and unbelievable
decisions this tyrant has made over many years, for some
reason, recent moves to acquire Greenland are bothering more
than usual. I put a lot of thought into trying to understand
why and then the answer became obvious. Continue
reading....
Hey Family and Friends
The days are getting longer and the leaves on the trees are beginning to grow. I
actually got to visit my therapist a few times already....aka my garden. Yup,
with all of the awful things going on in The World, gardening is one of the best
ways to reduce stress. If you've not gardened before, then maybe now would be a
good time for you to try it out. Continue reading 2026 blog updates
January 1, 2026 Close Up
This is a close up of the lunch
and the Japanese sake. Akiko usually make many more different items, most of
which have some meaning, but she only made a few things this year since we are
busy with a few things now.
January 1, 2026 Happy New Year
We are really thankful for the
last year which saw us move to our new home. We are looking
forward to a happy and healthy 2026.
January 1, 2026 Sake Taste
A bit of Japanese sake which is the traditional drink for New Years day. Except
for Akiko, none of us are that fond of Japanese
sake though.
December 21, 2025 Eating Homemade Frizza
We ate "frizza", as we call it because Akiko makes them in a frypan. Akiko is
really fantastic at cooking and her "frizza" rivals anything you could eat in a
restaurant.
November 27, 2025 Happy Thanksgiving
Hey everybody. Happy
Thanksgiving from our family to yours. This is yet another Thanksgiving in Japan
but our first in our new home in Setouchi City.
November 23, 2025 Getting Free Rice Chaff
Today we went to Kuyama san's
farm processing area to get rice chaff, which is basically the unwanted husks of
processed rice grains.
October 31, 2025 Halloween Party
Happy Halloween. We had a nice
Halloween party with our neighbors, the Idie san family. A
lot of really great food, copious amounts of alcohol, and a
long karaoke session in the music room.
October 31, 2025 Family Halloween Costumes
This was "the look" for this
year's Halloween party, the first at our Setouchi house. I was um, a heavy metal
rock star, Akiko was witch, Lael was a vampire, Ethan was a zombie, and Shai was
a zombie as well.
October 7, 2025 Praying Mantis Eating
There was a praying mantis in
the backyard next to the well which caught and ate a suzumebachi hornet, the
murder hornet.
October 3, 2025 Removing Mud Wall
Removing the wattle and daub
mud wall in the bathroom to get access to our bathroom from our bedroom. What a
mess and what a hassle. This was way more difficult than I thought.
October 2, 2025 Processing Garlic Together
This was an afternoon of processing garlic for the garden together. We bought a
lot and a couple of different kinds this year.
September 30, 2025 Using Backhoe
Our neighbor and friend Kuyamasan let us use his backhoe to completely change
the landscaping of the adjacent property which used to be a huge bamboo forest.
Thoughts - Living
How to be Happy
I am not a therapist, psychologist, philosopher, or
motivational speaker. I am simply someone who has been
through a lot of good and bad times and has learned much
along the way.
Thoughts - Health Yoga
Workout My yoga workout. I was looking for a way to simply
feel better without all of the spiritual mumbo jumbo usually
associated with practicing yoga.
Thoughts - Health Strength
Training My strength training workout. Thanks to a torn bicep
(see picture), a hernia, and rheumatoid arthritis, I decided
to return to strength training as a way to alleviate the
daily pain and fatigue.
