Tie this woman DOWN! (J)

Okaasan is starting to explore the area...and getting lost!
We're not too worried because she is now taking the cell phone with her and even getting other people to show her how to use it.

Friday Yujiro got a call from Hiragishi police box to say that Okaasan had been brought there by someone because she was lost. She'd already walked from Minami Hiragishi back to the area we have just moved from - she wanted to see how far it would be if she walked to the hula dance class place! Then she started walking back...and got lost. She must have walked about 3...4 km.

Today we had a long day of cleaning at the old houses, moving all the locker stuff out, changing winter/summer tires, buying kerosene, pans etc...and while we were in the supermarket at 4 pm we got a call from Okaasan's cell phone. This time it was a helpful man downtown saying Okaasan had finished shopping and wasn't sure how to get home! Yujiro told him the subway station name and he wrote it down for her....50 minutes later she walked back through the door.

I admire her for all of this actually. She is physically very strong and she is active and even more importantly - she is inquisitive about her location. The weather is getting better now and Sapporo isn't a dangerous city - I hope she enjoys her explorations!

* Mind you I still don't admire her comments. Tonight I cooked dinner. Fish in a nice garlic/onion/mushroom/bay leaf/tomato sauce...and she picked through it silently and then asked for soy sauce or salt: "It's very thin, it doesn't have much taste". I'm too tired to care.

２００９年３月２９日（日）

お義母さんにかかりっきり！

お義母さんがご近所探検を始めているの・・・そして道に迷うの！

ワタシたちはあまり心配してないの。今ではお義母さんは携帯電話で話すし、そのうえ使い方を他の人たちに教わっているのよ。

金曜日ユウは平岸交番からお義母さんが迷子になって誰かに連れられてきたという電話を受けたの。お義母さんは南平岸駅からこの間まで住んでいた場所に歩いていたの。お義母さんはフラダンス教室に歩いたらどのくらいか知りたかったんだわ！それでお義母さんは歩いて戻り始めたの・・・そして迷子になった。お義母さんは３キロか４キロも歩いたに違いないわ。

きょうワタシたちは古い家の掃除で長い一日を過ごしたの。物置のものを全部運び出し、冬タイヤを夏用に換え、灯油や鍋なんかを買って・・・午後４時にスーパーマーケットにいるときお義母さんの携帯から電話を受け取ったの。今回は、街で助けてくれた男性が、お義母さんが買い物を終えて帰り方がわからなくなった、って言うの！ユウはその人に地下鉄の駅名を伝えて、彼はそれをお義母さんのために紙に書きとめてくれたのよ・・・５０分後、お義母さんは歩いて帰宅したわ。

今度ばかりは心底お義母さんに感心したわ。お義母さんの身体はととても丈夫で、活発だし、より重要なことだけど・・・自分のいるところの探究心が旺盛なのね。今、気候がよくなってきていて、札幌は危険な都市ではないの・・・お義母さんが探検を楽しんでくれるといいわ。

ねえ、ワタシやっぱりお義母さんの言ったことをほめられないわ。今晩、ワタシは夕食を作ったの。にんにくとたまねぎときのこと月桂樹の葉とトマトソースで煮た魚料理・・・お義母さんは黙ってそれをほじくり回し、それからしょうゆか塩がほしいって言ったの；“これずいぶん薄いわね。味がしないわ。”　ワタシ、疲れすぎちゃって気にならないわ。