Ozoni Part II

Tried that New Year traditional soup again tonight, having studied all the Internet advice and my cookbooks.
Worked out ok, I guess, Okaasan said there wasn't enough salt in it and took a handfull to add to her bowl. But old people need stronger tastes, so I wasn't too bothered.


Actually today...nothing bothered me too much because my head cold settled in for a kick-around and I stayed in my pajamas all day...woke up at 9 am! And then after setting out Okaasan's lunch, I slept again from 11 am to 2 pm.
Spent a lot of time reading gossip magazines a friend sent me for Christmas.
Outside I could see the 90 year-old neighbor's family arriving with food and things to spend a few hours with her. The son and his family, the grandkids all chatty. That lady has the ideal family life - poor Okaasan had two sons, neither married and one of them lives with a woman who serves strange food. I can see why some of my older students worry about their kids not getting married - they face a lonely old age if there isn't anyone to play happy families with.


I reassured Okaasan that there WAS no ice outside now and that the streets were safe to walk - she simply can't get all our early to mid- December advice out of her brain - and finally at 3.30 she set out for a walk.
I asked her to buy carrots, for the soup, but of course she didn't. I spied on the mobile phone GPS that she took the subway downtown - for about 40 mins - and then came straight home again. Wonder why she did that? Who knows.


At 6.30 pm I went downstairs to throw the soup and other stuff together for dinner.
Found a major toilet accident all over the toilet floor, mat and into the entrance hall....oh yuk.
Cleaned that up and used a lot of floor cleaner.
It's hard to do THAT for someone, and then sit across the table and make polite dinner chitchat!


Okaasan was apologising for not having bought the carrots, and said she didn't want to eat much (my stomach feels strange)....but she ate through the soup and one rice cake and picked at a few more bits.


And so another day.