 Additional
Posts
This page might contain additional information from some of following sources:
Facebook Post - from my FB account
Email
Message - from my email account
Journal Post - from the journal our oldest son Shai is keeping |
|
|
June 1, 2025 -
Journal Post - Gardening and working on the rock wall
This morning was pretty simple.
While I worked on continuing the rock wall, by first digging out a larger area,
and then filling it with rocks, dad was gardening. Before lunch, he rototilled
the farm, and planted all the plants we had brought back from the beach shack.
By lunch, dad had it all planted, and I had gotten a small portion of the rock
wall done.
After lunch, dad did even more gardening. He tied up the bamboo poles he had put
in, and then started to plant the seedlings we had grown.
While he was doing that, I continued on making the rock wall.
Since the workers were on a schedule, they had to bring in some help to finish
the day's work.
While dad and I were working, Ayane, her mother, and grandmother came over to
chat for a bit. They stayed for a long while, and we talked a lot.
While they were here, one of the workers dumped even more rocks into the parking
area. This put me a bit behind on schedule.
The workers left super late, due to them needing to finish a certain amount of
work.
By the end of the day, I had finished most of the rock wall, and dad had planted
a ton of plants.
June 2, 2025 -
Journal Post - Finishing the rock wall, a lot of gardening, lots of metal,
and the first toilet is done
The morning was pretty simple work wise.
I spent the entire morning finishing the rock wall! And by lunch, I had it
finished.
Dad spent the morning making the last section of the border around the garden.
The workers brought the toilet in the morning. The sink was already delivered.
That was pretty much it for lunch.
After lunch, dad continued gardening, and I headed into the other yard. The plan
was to first get all the metal out and move into our yard, and then start moving
the roof tiles. However, there was a lot more metal than expected. So much so
that we will need to call Mr Kaku again. I spent the entire afternoon pulling
out Rusty metal and moving it into the parking lot. While I was working though,
I did take a break and had a conversation with Mr Takahara's intern, whom I have
said hello to multiple times.
While I was doing all that, dad had planted even more seedlings, and also made a
new trellis section to plant runner beans.
Towards the end of the day, Mr Irie came over and gave us some potatoes and
seedlings.
While he was here, the worker said he was done for the day, and had finished
installing the toilet and sink! Before he left, he took a look at a wire on the
second floor of the garage to see if it had electricity flowing through it, and
it did!
Dad and I stayed out working for a few minutes, but soon headed in right before
it began to rain.
It was honestly a really productive day, despite all the social interactions.
June 3, 2025 -
Journal Post - Half day of work
This morning we woke up to pouring rain. The rain was supposed to let up in the
afternoon, we stayed in the house just relaxing until the afternoon.
After lunch, dad and I reluctantly headed out.
The first thing we did was move all the wood in the upper area of the yard onto
the rock wall.
Then dad and I spent the day taking out dirt along the wall to make a space to
put the reflector poles and fruit trees. We put in one bamboo pole, but it looks
quite awkward.
June 4, 2025 -
Journal Post - Working on the upper area of the yard and sweet potatoes
This morning, just as I was coming out to work, Mr Kuyama came over. Mom went
out with dad to talk to him. He came to bring us sweet potato vines! Which was
very nice.
Once I got out, the first thing dad and I did was move the wood on the rock wall
into the parking lot.
After that, dad and I continued working on the upper area. While dad put the
wood into a nice pile, I finished making the area against the wall.
While we were doing that, the workers showed up. Today they began work on our
second toilet! We had a long conversation with Mr Watanabe, and some things were
agreed upon. Most importantly they would take a break on the 9th of the month,
and they would take out or cover almost all the tiles in the toilet room.
Dad started to rake the dirt over while taking the rocks out of it, and while he
did that, I started making holes for the fruit trees.
By lunch we had taken out a ton of rocks and dirt.
After lunch, dad continued on raking the dirt, while I made around five holes
for the soon to be bought fruit trees.
Dad and I also got a burn pile to burn the roots and grass we had collected for
awhile.
When dad and I went in the house to take a break, dad noticed that the faucet on
the toilet wasn't running. So when we went back out, we told the worker, and he
fixed it!
I made one last hole, and dad continued raking. After that, dad started to rake
the whole upper area to prepare for the rock wall I was gonna continue. While he
did that, I started to weed along his rock wall.
While we were doing that Mr Kuyama showed up with more sweet potato vines!
Right after he left, dad planted some of the vines in the garden.
After that, dad and I continued working until about 7:00 pm, and then headed in
for the day.
Not a crazy day, but really productive.
June 5, 2025 -
Journal Post - Almost finished the farm
Today's main plan was to finish or at least come close to finishing the farm.
While mom was getting ready to go, dad and I did some work on the yard. I
continued weeding the upper area of the yard while dad watered the plants.
By the time dad was done watering the plants, mom was ready to go.
At the farm, while dad and I finished putting up the metal arches, mom planted
some of the sweet potato vines Mr Kuyama gave us. We also got a burn pile going
in the corner to burn all the hay and wood from the old seedling greenhouse.
Once that was done, we all worked on stretching out the net we got from the
beach shack across the arches. It only took three net bundles to cover all the
arches.
While we were at the farm, Mr Watanabe came over to tell mom something.
By the time that was all done, it was around 11:00 am, so we headed home, and
then off to the store to buy lunch.
After lunch, dad and I headed out to the farm. While we were walking to the
farm, we saw the truck drive up bringing all the elderly women food. It was full
of food and even seeds.
At the farm, dad and I first loaded up the wheel barrow with all the plastic
sheeting from the seedling greenhouse. We took it home, and mom and I bagged it
up.
After dad took mom to see the truck, dad and I headed back to the farm. At the
farm, we made a temporary gate to the farm, unloaded the trailer, and cleaned
all around the buildings at the farm.
Once that was done, we headed back home. Mom and dad went to the farm in the bus
to bring home the wood and farming supplies. Mom and dad brought back the wood,
rope, and pot holders, which I unloaded into the parking. While they were doing
that I finished weeding the upper area of the yard.
Once that was done, and after a break, dad and I continued working on the upper
area. While he smoothed out a huge area of it, I worked on extending the rock
wall with all the rocks we found.
While we were working, Ayane came over. At first I didn't recognize her because
of her new short hair cut. We all talked to her for a while before she headed
home.
Dad and I worked until 7:00 pm, by the end of the day we had gotten a ton of
work done on the upper area of the yard.
A super productive day.
June 6, 2025 -
Journal Post - The farm and the beach shack finished
The morning was dedicated to the farm. But we didn't head over until the workers
came over. While we were waiting for them, we headed into the other yard. While
I managed a burn pile, dad processed 24 bamboo poles to bring to the farm.
Once the workers showed up, we headed to the farm. We first brought 4 poles
each, and then loaded up the wheel barrow and the two of us precariously wheeled
it to the farm.
At the farm, I made the holes for the poles, and dad tied them to the metal
arches. It took until almost noon, but we finished it.
Before lunch, we did a little work in the upper area of the yard, and then
headed in for lunch.
After lunch, we all went to the farm. Mom tied the net to the bamboo and arches,
while dad and I cleaned the driveway in front of the buildings at the farm. Then
we all untangled a long rope to put on the bamboo poles to support the bitter
melon we were going to grow. Dad hung up the net, mom planted the seeds, and I
finished cleaning around the buildings. While we were working, we had a long
chat with Lael's friend's mom.
Once we were done, we headed home. Since it wasn't too late, we decided to head
to the beach shack to bring back the metal.
At the beach shack, dad and I unloaded the load we brought in the trailer into
the shack, and then loaded the trailer back up with all the metal bits and
machinery. Mom talked to and gave gifts to the neighbors to apologize for past
and future inconveniences.
We then headed home. On the way, I noticed a clank of metal, a piece of metal
had fallen out. So dad pulled over and I ran over to get the metal that had
fallen.
Once we were home, we unloaded the trailer into our yard, and then drove the
truck and trailer back to the farm.
When we were walking home, Mr Budo came out and gave us zucchini! We talked for
a while and then headed home.
A hectic but productive day.
June 7, 2025 -
Journal Post - Finished the rock wall, a lot of gardening done, and the end
of the toilet work
The morning was spent on the upper section of the yard. I worked on the rock
wall, while dad raked all the rocks out of the dirt.
While we were working, the workers for the toilet and putting in concrete showed
up.
By lunch I had nearly finished the rock wall, dad had raked out all the rocks
from the dirt, the workers had finished installing the toilet, and the other
workers were still putting the concrete over the septic tank.
After lunch, I finished the rock wall and dad did some gardening.
About an hour after we got out, the workers told us they were done with the
concrete and that they would come back in a few days to take the form boards
out.
Dad completely changed the lower area of the yard by putting up more bamboo
poles, and by moving around the concrete chunks. He also watered all the plants.
While he was doing that, I was making more holes to put the fruit trees in.
While we were working, the car mechanic's dad showed up. We talked with him for
a while, and he gave us Jumbo Garlic!
By the end of the day, the rock wall was done, the upper section was raked and
dotted with holes, and we had some new additions to the garden.
June 8, 2025 -
Journal Post - Work in both yards
We got out pretty late this morning. Mom and dad did some work in the house and
checked some things out that the workers did.
Around 10:00 am, I went out, and we got to work. First thing, I made the last
three holes for the fruit trees while dad raked out the dirt from the other
holes I made. While we were doing that, mom headed out to go shopping for
seedlings and food.
The next thing I did was work on making the area to put the compost bin. While I
did that, dad worked on smoothing out the area for the dog house.
Around 12:00 am, mom came home, and we headed in for lunch.
After lunch, before I went out, mom and dad did two things. First, they moved
the truck and trailer back to our house. And second, they put all the bags of
compost outside.
Once I went out, I finished setting up the compost. Then dad and I filled it up
with compost, dirt, and mushroom substrate.
After that, I worked on cleaning up the area around the compost while dad
started planting the seedlings mom bought.
Once I was done with the area around the compost, I headed into the other yard
to take the metal out of the ground.
We worked until 7:00 pm, and by the end of the day dad had planted all the
seedlings, and I got a ton more metal out.
June 9, 2025 -
Journal Post - Happy Birthday Ethan!
Today was Ethan's birthday, so besides hanging out with him all day, I didn't do
much.
Dad went outside to work. He did finish earlier than usual, around 5:00 pm, but
he got a ton done. He smoothed out and started to clean the area in front of the
house where the BBQ, tables, and chair would be going.
At night, we had a lot of fun hanging out.
June 10, 2025 -
Journal Post - Monsoon begins and the start of the destruction of the beach
shack
Today we awoke to the sound of the pouring rain.
For the morning, we decided not to go out. I spent the morning in my room
studying, while dad was downstairs. By lunch he had gotten a bunch of sorting
done in the family room.
After lunch, despite the rain letting up a little, we decided to stay in. Around
that time, mom got an email from Mr Watanabe showing the progress of the
demolition of the beach shack. They had already basically taken out the entire
second floor.
I headed back up into my room, and dad continued working. By the end of the day,
dad had really cleaned up the music room, and moved a lot of the stuff into the
closet in the main bedroom.
It was honestly a really nice relaxing day.
June 11, 2025 -
Journal Post - Half a day working on the metal
This morning it was pouring rain, so we couldn't go out.
However, this morning the septic workers came to finish installing the floor for
the second bathroom. They finished around 11:30 am.
After they left, mom went shopping for lunch and groceries.
After lunch, dad and I headed out.
All we worked on was the trash. I first took the pile of metal from the other
yard and moved it into the parking, while dad began to pile the metal I had
already brought into neat piles for Mr Kaku to take away.
Once all the metal was transported, I began to pile it neatly, while dad began
to take apart the washing machine.
While we were working, Mr Kuyama came over. We talked for a while, and he also
took some of the containers of chemicals away to use or throw out.
Once he left, we got back to work. Dad needed help separating the metal from the
plastic in the washing machine, so I helped with a crowbar and my boot.
Dad also started taking apart the old television that came with the house.
We continued working, dad taking apart the television, and I piling the metal,
until about 7:00 pm. Then we headed in for the day.
For the time we had, we got a lot done.
June 12, 2025 -
Journal Post - Metal and the parking
This morning it wasn't raining, so we headed out.
First, I finished moving the metal into the neat piles, while dad raked up the
little bits of metal left over in the parking lot.
After that, dad started working on the main parking lot by taking out soil so we
could put gravel, while I headed over to the other yard to finish taking out the
metal. I then took a bunch of loads of metal, and piled it neatly.
While we were working, Mr Watanabe came over to talk about the beach shack,
saying that it was basically completely torn down.
Once he left, we continued working. Dad and I decided to dump the tiny bits of
metal into the corner of the other yard because separating it would take way too
long.
While we were working, Mr Irie came over and talked to us for a bit, and he also
gave us celery!
We continued until lunch.
After lunch, before dad and I began to work, we talked a little about the plan
for the parking. While we were talking, Mr Takahara and his assistant walked up
the road and began talking to us. We had a long conversation with them, and we
also received some flower seeds!
After that, we headed back to work. I finished picking up and moving all the
metal in the other yard, while dad continued on in the parking lot. After I
finished helping him move some soil, I went back over to the other yard to
prepare the burn pit for tomorrow.
Once that was done, I headed back over to the parking lot where dad had made
considerable progress. Dad and I spent the rest of the day working in the
parking lot. By the end of the day, the parking lot was very close to ready to
put the gravel in.
A very productive and sociable day.
June 13, 2025 -
Journal Post - Work in the other yard and the front
This morning dad and I were working in two different places. While I would be in
the other yard, dad would be in the front parking lot.
My job was to keep the burn pile going, and rake the areas where dad would take
the weedwhacker through. I had to rake it to get the large pieces of bamboo out,
and to get any pieces of rooftiles.
While I did that, dad planned to work on taking more dirt out in the parking.
Mom went to the farm by herself today to plant the sweet potato vines we had
ordered. She took the big hoe, so dad couldn't work on the dirt. So he spent the
morning turning all the plastic trash into bite sized pieces.
While I was in the other yard, I was picking up some trash on the ground near
the pond. Now most of the rocks around the pond are stable, but apparently there
was one that wasn't. Because while I was picking up the trash, a rock slid out
from under me, and I fell waist deep into the pond. I immediately pulled myself
out and went to tell dad if I could go change. He said I should just wait until
lunch, so I spent the rest of the morning raking and moving roof tiles with
soaked pants. I also saw a turtle in the pond.
Mom came back soon after that. When she came out to tell us lunch was ready, Mr
Kuyama showed up to take one of the metal things we got from the beach shack. He
wanted the roller thing. Once he took it back, he came back with a map book to
show us some good fishing spots around Okayama.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, before we went out, mom called Mr Kaku to ask if he could come take
the metal today, and he said yes.
So before we did anything, dad and I went out and prepared all the metal for
him. He came within thirty minutes, and within another thirty minutes, his truck
was full. We thanked him, and he left.
After that, I took some tools that he wouldn't take to the other yard to burn
off the wood. I got the pile going hot again by raking up some dry leaves, and
while I was doing that, dad came over with the weedwhacker. We spent about an
hour on the other yard, dad weedwhacking, and I raking the bamboo and weeds and
tossing them onto the fire. After we finished that, we headed in for a break.
After the break, we all came out. I had to bag the trash dad had made into bite
sized pieces, and while I did that, dad started to move all the wood under the
eaves of the garage.
Once the trash was bagged, mom came out with the city trash bags, and we got all
the trash ready to throw out.
Once that was done, mom and the kids headed in the house. Dad continued to move
the wood, while I worked on moving the dirt he had loosened.
Once dad was done with the wood, though he couldn't move all of it due to
thousands of ants, he started to untangle the rope we brought from the beach
shack.
We spent the rest of the day alternating between moving the dirt, and untangling
the rope. Before we headed in, dad hung the rope up on the metal building to get
washed in the rain.
Once again, a very productive day.
June 14, 2025 -
Journal Post - Finishing the bamboo
We woke up expecting rain. We had planned to spend the day in the house, but
since it was hit or miss pockets of rain, we decided to head out.
Before we could head out, Mrs Irie came over and gave us this delicious cucumber
and dip that we ate for lunch.
When she left, we headed out. The day was dedicated to processing the bamboo
poles in the other yard.
We spent the morning working on the first pile. First though, dad worked on the
drainage along the wall, while I began to process the poles by cutting off the
ends at the nodes.
Once dad was done with the wall, we worked on the poles together. I continued to
cut the ends off and pull the poles out, while dad cut off the leaves and piled
them on the other side of the yard up against the hill.
By lunch, we had nearly finished the entire first section of bamboo.
After lunch, we worked on the second pile. Dad pulled them out, sorting them by
which were fine, and which needed to be cut. We spent most of the afternoon
processing the poles.
Nearing the end of the day, with the motivation to finish before the end of the
day, we went insane. We were practically running across the yard, dragging the
poles along to stack them. And then we were frantically throwing the little bits
of bamboo onto the burn pile from the day before. But it paid off. By the end of
the day, all the bamboo was processed and sorted.
June 15, 2025 -
Journal Post - Happy Father's Day!
Today is father's day, so we're spending the day in the house.
We just hung out all day, the only work that got done is that the pile set on
fire all by itself and burned through a bunch of the bamboo leaves.
It was a really fun and relaxing day.
June 16, 2025 -
Journal Post - Settling in to a funner life
This morning, before we did anything, mom and dad took some time to open the
packages to look at the screening we bought, and test out the vacuums. One of
them wouldn't turn off, so we have to return it. After that was all done, the
plan was to go to the beach shack.
We left around 9:30 am. When we got there, we were amazed by how clean the
property was. The old building was gone, and we had this huge open dirt area.
This is our clean slate for making parking, a garden, and more.
After that, we went shopping to buy lunch and drinks for the upcoming party.
After lunch is when things get fun. First, dad and I got some work done, he did
a bunch of gardening and picked quite a few potatoes, and I worked in the other
yard and got the burn pile going and burned all the mess from the processed
bamboo.
After that, I took the dog for a walk.
Once I got home, I prepared...to go running. Today is the start of the new
schedule (what that is yet, I'm not entirely sure), which means most of the huge
projects are done, and we can do whatever we want. So the first thing I wanted
to start with was a really long run. So around 4:30 pm, I went for a run all
around the town. I came home around 6:00 pm because I wondered whether my watch
was correct, which it was. So I went out for another hour and came back at 7:00
pm.
While I was out, dad got a bunch of seeds put into the garden.
And that was it for today's sorta productive, but very fun day.
June 17, 2025 -
Journal Post - Preparing for the summer
This morning, before we got to work, mom and I took out the trash.
After that, dad headed out. I waited for mom to get ready because we were going
to the farm. Once she was ready, we headed to the farm. We left around 9:30 am,
and we stayed until 11:00 am. We spent that time weeding the beds, and making
some new square beds.
Once we got home, mom got to making lunch, and I took the dog for a walk.
After lunch, dad wanted me to stay up in my room until 4:30 pm. While I was up
there, he and mom got a lot done. They moved all the fans into the house to be
set up, they put the bamboo curtains on the outside of the windows, they moved
the weight lifting equipment to the second floor of the garage, and he got the
bikes ready!
At 4:30 pm, after he took a timeout, we headed out to go for a ride. Dad went
with me a little, just to make sure I could ride, and then he headed home. I
stayed out until 7:00 pm. At that time, I talked to the farmer who owns the farm
next to our farm. We talked, and he gave me a cucumber, and then I followed him
on the bike to his peach farm. We talked for a long time, and I learned...a lot
about peaches. I eventually left, and headed home to drop off the cucumbers.
After that, I headed up the mountain, and then came home after riding around for
a while.
While I was out, dad tried to start putting up the screens, but the holder was
too small, so instead he did even more gardening.
It was a tiring, but productive and fun day.
June 18, 2025 -
Journal Post - Work all over the place
This morning mom and I headed to the farm, while dad and the kids stayed home.
At the farm, mom and I continued weeding, and I finished making the square beds.
While we were over there, dad put up some more poles in the garden.
After we got back, I took the dog for a walk, and then after the walk, dad and I
headed into the other yard. In the other yard, dad weedwhacked, while I raked.
There were so many rocks and roof tiles in the ground that the blade lost some
of its tips and became unstable. This vibration caused a tiny rock to shoot out
of it and hit the window, causing it to have a tiny crack in it.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, dad and I continued work in the other yard. First he used the
weedwhacker again, but this time with the thick blade Mr Kuyama gave us. He used
it for a little, but soon realized the saw was much faster at cutting through
the bamboo stumps. So he put it away, and then started to rake with me.
While we were working, the worker who would check our septic tank every month
came over to do some paperwork.
Once the worker left, dad decided to work on a new, temporary, dog house. The
old one had way too much sunlight coming in, so within thirty minutes, dad had a
new dog house ready.
After that, up until about 4:30 pm, dad and I kept raking the other yard. Once
we were done, we headed into the house for a break. After that, I headed out on
the bike, and dad did more work in the garden.
While I was on the bike, I saw three really cool creatures. A Coypu, Japanese
Badger, and a species of soft shelled turtle!
I came home around 7:00 pm, and that was it for the day.
June 19, 2025 -
Journal Post - Finishing the beds in the farm, and a lot of work in the yard
This morning, mom and I once again headed to the farm. At the farm, we finished
weeding and finished making the beds.
While we were there, dad worked on cleaning up around the orange tree and
trimming it.
After that, I headed in to study, dad kept working, and mom made lunch.
After lunch, due to it being too hot, dad kept me in the house until 3:00 pm.
While I was in the house, he worked on getting rid of the rock and dirt pile
next to the well, and worked on making some holes for the trees we brought from
the mountain.
At 3:00 pm, I came out to work in the main parking lot. I worked until 4:30,
smoothing out the parking and taking away the dirt. While I did that, dad
continued work on the pile next to the pond.
At 4:30, dad headed in the house to take a timeout, and I took Copernicus for a
walk. Once I came back, I headed in to get ready to go out again.
I left for a photo walk around 5:00 pm, and got back around 7:00 pm.
While I was out, dad basically finished cleaning the whole area around the well,
and it looks great!
And that was pretty much it for the day.
June 20, 2025 -
Journal Post - A hot day of work
This morning, only dad went out to work. He had a bunch of stuff to get done,
and it was so hot, so I stayed in and studied.
Before lunch, dad moved all the pots in front of the house, and laid all the
bricks out on the ground to get rid of the huge amount of ants.
While he was working, mom went shopping.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, dad and I headed out.
My first project was to clean and stack all the bricks. Dad had started on the
project before lunch. While I did that, dad stained and painted the wood and
exterior walls around the windows of the main room.
Once I was done with the bricks, I cleaned the concrete blocks.
Once dad was done painting, he and I moved all the concrete blocks onto the
foundation around the house. Then, dad and I moved the mochi bowls and huge pot
onto the foundation.
After that, I continued work on the main parking lot, while dad kept moving the
pots around the foundation.
While we were working, Mr Budo came over and gave us some cabbage and peppers!
Dad also got a burn pile going next to the pile of dirt, which I kept going.
Once he was done with all the pots, he watered the garden.
By the end of the day, all the pots were moved, the garden was watered, and I
had finished the main parking.
A very productive day.
June 21, 2025 -
Journal Post - Party Day
Today, only dad went outside to work, while I studied and cleaned, and mom
prepared the food for the party.
Over the course of the day, dad made a place to hang the futons, made permanent
hangers for the drying nets, and hung up the bamboo screen over the window.
Around 5:00 pm, Kana, her husband, and her family showed up. We had a super good
time with them, and they made some amazing food. They stayed until about 10:00
pm, and then headed home.
June 22, 2025 -
Journal Post - Making holes and work in the upper area
This morning, dad and I headed out. The main goal for the day was to make holes
for the trees we brought from the mountain, and also to make holes for the
banana trees we were buying.
While we were working, one of the neighbors came and gave us a bag full of
vegetables.
By lunch, I had finished four holes, and dad had made three holes. There were
two more holes to make for the mountain trees, and one more hole left to make
for the banana trees.
After lunch, the first dad headed out. I stayed in the house studying until
about 3:00 pm, and then headed out. Around 4:30 pm, dad and I finished making
all the holes.
We headed in for a timeout, and after the timeout, I headed out for my run, and
dad went back to work. Before I ran though, I headed over to Ayane's house to
give back some plates they forgot.
I ran/walked until 6:30 pm, and then came home. While I was out, dad had made a
hole next to the pipe in the upper section of the yard. This was to start the
pond we were gonna make, and also to let all the rain coming drain into the
well. Dad stayed out until 7:00 pm, and then headed in.
A hot, humid, but pretty productive day.
June 23, 2025 -
Journal Post - Work on the path and the upper area
This morning, dad went out first while I stayed in for the morning. He spent the
morning smoothing out the area where the barbecue is going to go. He did that
for the entire morning.
After lunch, I stayed in a little more to study, and then I headed out with him.
He continued working on smoothing out the barbecue area, while I worked on
widening and deepening the holes I previously made for the fruit trees. By 7:00
pm, dad had smoothed out the whole area, and moved all the dirt to the parking
lot, and I had finished doing half of the holes.
We then headed in for the day.
June 24, 2025 -
Journal Post - A day in the house…kinda
We woke up to the sound of rain falling today. The weather forecast showed it
would rain all day, so we decided to stay in, kinda.
I stayed the entire day studying and writing. While dad went out for the day and
worked on the first floor of the garage.
By the end of the day, dad had made a lot of progress on sorting and cleaning
the first floor of the garage.
June 25, 2025 -
Journal Post - Preparing for planting
Today dad and I headed out with one main mission: prepare the upper area for the
fruit trees.
I started deepening the holes in the upper area that I had already made, while
dad did some quick work in the front of the house. He took out the entire black
mat and then put woodboards so we could get from the entry to the garage and
parking. Once he was doing that, mom went shopping.
Dad and I spent the rest of the morning in the upper area. I continued deepening
the holes, while dad weeded. Once mom came back from shopping, we headed in for
lunch.
After lunch, we worked on the holes together. There were some holes with huge
rocks in them, and dad got a ton of them out while I finished off deepening the
last of the holes.
Once dad was done with most of the holes, he then began to fill up the holes I
deepened with soft, nutrient rich soil to prepare for the fruit trees. While he
did that, I worked on getting the last large rock out of the last hole.
Once I was done working on the holes, I spent the rest of the day hanging out
with my brothers outside.
Dad got a bit more work done, like filling in the last holes with dirt, and
putting in bamboo poles and tying the plants to it so they wouldn't flop over.
While we were outside, we got two visits. First Mrs Irie came over and gave us
tomatoes and tofu. We talked with her for a while, and then she left. Soon after
she left, Mr Irie came over with a bunch of vegetables and wine plums! We also
talked with him for a while.
We headed in around 6:30 pm after a very productive day.
June 26, 2025 -
Journal Post - Planting the fruit trees
This morning, mom and dad headed out. They spent the entire morning working on
the fruit trees. Mom planted the fruit tree, and dad followed along, putting in
more soil and watering them. While they were working, Mr Kuyama (the one who
lives in the blue house) came over and gave them a bunch of vegetables. They
talked for a while, and he headed home.
And that was it for lunch.
After lunch, I stayed in, and mom and dad headed out. Mom finished planting the
cypress trees we brought from Tanegashima, and then she headed in. Dad spent the
rest of the afternoon putting more soil around the fruit trees, watering them,
and putting protective wood poles around them.
A very productive, green day.
June 27, 2025 -
Journal Post - Work in the farm and the parking
This morning mom and I headed to the farm, and dad and the kids stayed home.
At the farm, we planted some sweet potato vines we got from Mr Irie, some of the
seedlings we didn't use in the garden, and we started weeding around the bitter
melons.
While we were at the farm, dad started raking the upper area of the yard, making
it look super clean.
While we were still at the farm, mom got a phone call from the septic workers
that they would come at 10:00 am to do a "septic test". They showed up at 10:00
am as they said, but only dad was home, so he told the workers to go to the
farm. By that time mom and I were already walking home.
Once they were done with the septic test, mom headed in to make lunch, and dad
and I stayed out to work. I worked on the huge pile of dirt in the second
parking by raking the rocks out, and dad continued raking the upper area.
While we were working, Mr Watanabe came over to give us the estimates for
installing water and electricity at the beach shack.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, once dad was raking the upper area, we both worked on the rock
pile. I eventually switched from raking to sifting, and moved all the dirt in
the corner of the garden. Dad raked up and loosened the pile.
We spent the rest of the day working on the pile, and by the end of the day we
had a considerable chunk of the pile done.
June 28, 2025 -
Journal Post - The first load of rocks and finishing the dirt pile
This morning, the workers were scheduled to deliver the first load of rocks at
8:30 am. They came an hour early. Mom headed out and pulled out the metal poles
and told them where to dump the rocks.
Dad then got ready and headed out with mom. While they were out, dad did a tiny
bit of raking on the piles, and they also had a conversation with Mr Kuyama. He
told them that he would bring his pounder later in the day. Dad was a bit
apprehensive, but didn't decline.
Once that was all sorted, I headed out. The first thing we worked on was
smoothing out the pile of rocks in the parking lot. Within about 30 minutes, we
had about 2 tons of rock smoothed out.
After that, we worked on the pile of dirt the entire morning. Dad raked and
loosened the pile, while I sifted and moved the dirt and put the rocks into a
separate pile.
Right before lunch, Mr Kuyama and his grandson came over and gave us his
pounding machine. What it does is basically slides over the rocks, and vibrates
them deeper into the ground, compacting and smoothing them out.
And that was it for the morning.
After lunch, it was more of the same. We kept going, and by 5:00 pm, we had
moved the entire pile of dirt. After that was done, we headed in for a timeout.
After the time out, we all headed out. Dad and I were going to move the rock
pile into the upper area, the kids were going to play outside, and mom was gonna
go to the farm.
By about 6:30 pm, dad and I had piled all the rocks in the upper area against
the wall, and mom had come back from the farm.
Dad spent the rest of the day doing some small projects like raking, moving some
roots and rocks, among other things. I stayed out and hung out with my brothers,
and then we all headed in around 7:00 pm.
A very, very productive day.
June 29, 2025 -
Journal Post - More rocks and an...interesting trip to the beach shack
This morning we got our second load of rocks delivered. Once it was dumped, dad
and I headed out to move the rocks.
Some of the rocks were raked into more of the main parking, but also of them
were used in the front of the house. Once we were done, we had the path filled
with rocks, and a bit of the BBQ area done.
Once the rocks were done, I headed in and dad stayed out. While he was out, he
cleaned up where the truck was going to be parked.
And that was it for lunch.
After lunch, mom and dad moved the vehicles around, parking the bus in the
rocks, and the truck in the second parking lot. However, the truck is a bit
large for parking, so we're not sure if we're going to keep the truck parked
there.
Once that was all done, we headed to the beach shack with beach toys, ramps, and
tools.
When we arrived we used the ramps and the wood at the beach shack to slowly back
the truck into our property. While we were doing that, our neighbor, Mr
Morishita, came out and saw that we were struggling with navigating the slight
ledge. So he brought out a hammer and crowbar and said we could lower the wall
he built. We thanked him profusely.
Before we got to work, dad took mom and the kids to the beach, while I stayed
behind and did some weeding.
Once dad came back, we got to work. I lowered the wall, while dad started to
loosen the dirt.
Once the wall was down, I moved the chunks of concrete, and then helped dad. We
raked up a ton of dirt, and by around 5:30 pm, we had a nice dirt ramp to get
out of our property.
We then headed to the beach. At the beach, unfortunately, there was a large
amount of jellyfish, both on and off shore. This was a bit concerning for the
summer because we hoped to be able to go swimming along with fishing, but we're
all a bit nervous to go swimming now.
Around 6:30, we headed back to the beach shack to go home.
While we were packing up the truck, a man drove up to the property. He got out
of the car, looked around, and gave us the death stare and then began scolding
us. The reason he was so upset is because we took out a wall that wasn't on our
land. We tried to explain to him that we had gotten permission from the builder
of the wall to take it down, but he wouldn't listen. Soon the son of the owner
of the piece of land came over. He also began scolding us, telling us things
like we had no right to do that, he would put up barriers, and that we had to
build the wall back. For some reason, the person who didn't own the land said he
would sell it to us for 100万円, which is about $10,000, which is completely
unreasonable given the size of the land. After a bit of heated back and forth,
dad and I haphazardly rebuilt the wall, and then got in the car and drove off. I
would be lying if I didn't say we were all a bit mad.
We then got home, unloaded the truck, and that was it for the day.
June 30, 2025 -
Journal Post - Finishing the upper area and covering the building
This morning was fairly straightforward with what we did. Dad and I spent most
of the morning moving around the piles of rocks and dirt in the upper area into
their final places. The rocks were put against the rock wall, and the dirt was
moved near the building to be sifted whenever.
Once that was done, I headed in for the morning. Dad stayed out and watered the
garden. While he was doing that, Mr Budo came over and talked to him for a long
while.
And that was it for lunch.
After lunch, dad headed out first. He spent most of the time out by himself
setting up a tire swing for the kids! By around 3:30 pm, he had it finished. By
then, I came out.
The main project for us was to get the 7 x 5 meter tarp of the storage building.
The reason was so we could work there, even with the sun blazing, and it would
make an instant car port for the truck. So we spent the next two hours pulling,
throwing, and tying the tarp to the building. After that, we then used the ropes
we got from the beach shack and strung them over the building for extra support
for the tarp if the wind picked up.
Once that was done, the mom and the kids came out, and we all checked out the
new tire string that is tied to the Japanese maple tree.
Then, mom and dad moved the vehicles. The truck is parked in the storage
building, the bus in the main parking, and the trailer in the second parking.
Once that was done, dad did some light garden work, and I headed over to the
other yard. I stayed there until 7:00 pm, and within that time I cut nearly all
the poles in the yard. I did leave the ones on the hill so they would act as a
guide for Mr Takahara when he was driving.
At the end of the day, Mrs Irie came over and gave us a bunch of vegetables! She
stayed around for a while and checked out the garden, and then headed home. And
that was it for the day.
A very productive day. |
|
|
