Remembrance Day

                    They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

                    Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

                    At the going down of the sun and in the morning

                    We will remember them.

                           --From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

                        LEST WE FORGET

Another Public Service Message

And yes, a Guide is needed. Because the Internet will suck you in before you know it.

Twelve years ago? Noob. Some of us have been here since the Victorian era!

The Internet is a jealous mistress. She will never let you go.

Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Don't say you haven't been warned.

A Public Service Message

One day, a buddy introduces you to booze. And at first, it's just a cute joke. A fun time.

Then you get hardcore, man. You drink more and more. All the time.

You get destructive and belligerent. An intervention becomes necessary.

Finally, you agree to go to rehab and learn to call on your Higher Power.

Stay sober, friends! -- A public service message from the Squirrel Community.

P.S.: As a special note to Toronto's Mayor Rob Ford -- see the trouble that a drunken stupor can lead to? Good gawd, man, take a lesson from the squirrels!

Japanese Tea Ceremony -- The Experience

I had never participated in a Tea Ceremony before but I had read about them and thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong.

After we were seated and had washed our hands on warm cloths, we were served a small, extremely sweet cake to eat before the Tea Ceremony began. I thought this was very odd. The Japanese are not big on sweets at the best of times, let alone at a traditional Tea Ceremony.

But I think this aspect of the ceremony was probably for the benefit of our western palates. As we learned, the tea which is always used in the Tea Ceremony is a powdered green tea called matcha and it is extremely bitter. The Japanese likely learned from experience that westerners would not or could not drink matcha without a preceding big dose of sugar to coat our mouths! [Nope, I'm wrong: see Kestril Trueseeker's remark in the Comments at the end of the blog!]

An older lady explained to us what a younger lady was doing as she went through the steps of the Tea Ceremony. Each action must be slowly and mindfully performed as a meditative act. But in another concession to our western restlessness, pre-boiled water was used so we didn't have to sit there waiting for it.

While we were on the bus driving to Uji, our tour guide had instructed us how to respectfully hold and turn the tea bowl in a traditional manner while sipping. It is not considered proper to drink from the same side as any decoration that is found on the bowl.

The tea is also supposed to be slowly and silently consumed as a mindful act of meditation. My Rare One and I did so with an attempt at the proper spirit, but I'm afraid everyone else in the tour group spent the entire time yakking, laughing and farting around like boorish yahoos. I was embarrassed for them and for us, but the Japanese ladies were seemingly placid and unperturbed by this disrespectful behaviour.

I have read that a traditional Japanese tea ceremony can last for hours. But we were in and out of there in half an hour, max. Another indication that we got the western tourist version, I suppose. Or maybe that's only how long the Japanese ladies could stand us, LOL!

[All photos by My Rare One, April 2012, except for Photo 2 which is from the internet.]

Japanese Tea Ceremony -- The Setting

Here's another tale from our tour of Japan in April of 2012 --

In the southern Japanese city of Uji, some members of our group attended a traditional Tea Ceremony. Behind these beautiful cherry blossoms and a meticulously sculpted tree, My Rare One and I located the Uji City Municipal Tea Ceremony House called Taiho-An.

We entered through its front gate . . .

. . . proceeded through the courtyard's waiting area . . .

. . . and arrived at one of the Tea House's three tea rooms.

This room was meant for Japanese guests because it was a mat room and required leaving your shoes at the door.

But as westerners, we were directed to the tea room with chair seating and no requirement for shoe removal. Hmmm, already not so traditional! But our middle-aged bones didn't argue about not sitting on the floor.

Tomorrow's post: Japanese Tea Ceremony -- The Experience.

[Photos 1 and 2 by Debra She Who Seeks; Photos 3 to 5 by My Rare One; all taken in April, 2012]

Surprise! I'm Back Early!

Well, here I am, back again, a month early. How did that happen? Much to everyone's surprise, it turned out that the surgeon was able to perform only a minor surgical procedure for my sister at this time. The major procedure will be done some time in 2014 instead. So I ended up staying with her for a much shorter period than anticipated.

And this means that regular blogging will resume next week!

I'll Be Back in December

Hi everyone! My blog will be on hiatus until December. I'm off to stay with my sister who is having major surgery in a few days.

So My Rare One and Her Royal Highness will be batching it for the next little while. How will they fill all those endless empty hours until I return?