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Saturday, October 28, 2006

As a cookbook editor...

I am a member of Yokohama International Women's Club (YIWC). In 2000, an interest group was organized for recipe sharing. As this group began to talk and meet, we soon realized that we could collect enough recipes to write an international cookbook.

The more recipes that the group collected, there became a pattern. We selected a topic that became the theme for the cookbook. The idea of preparing food that could be taken out of the home was chosen. The group decided that Food for Furoshiki would become the title… Our next task was thinking of the chapters of the book that would carry on the theme.

I volunteered to become the English Editor of the cookbook. Another member, who was Japanese, became the Co-Editor.

As the typing began, looking at a specific style was important. Some conversion of recipes was necessary to keep measurements uniform. How to make every recipe appear in the same type of template, using the same descriptive words was important.

"Food for Furoshiki"



To help make the cookbook more useful, additional sections such as a glossary of vocabulary was added with foreign words translated into Japanese. Another fun part was to put in a list of tips. These additional sections kept me busy because being the Editor meant that I was actually designing the cookbook.

We were so lucky to have an artist draw some illustrations for the cookbook. These illustrations were placed on the chapter dividers. Another volunteer on the committee made some smaller illusrations which could be placed throughout the pages of the book. YIWC found a printer who helped with making the book complete... color covers, binding, paper and ink color, and the ISBN number made the Food for Furoshiki were the finishing touches towards completing the book.

Members of YIWC sold the book to their family, friends, and contacts. There were even colleges in the area that taught cooking and added the book to their classes, too.

This was not the first cookbook that YIWC had made. I was given a copy of a previous cookbook. Thinking that there would be the second cookbook was exciting. However, just recently… another cookbook for YIWC that was published many, many years before was discovered. One of the Honorary Life Members of YIWC gave me a copy of both of the previously compiled cookbooks. So… actually, Food for Furoshiki is their third cookbook.

Food for Furoshiki has 250 recipes and is 250 pages. YIWC printed 800 copies of the cookbook Food for Furoshiki and it was such a success that all of the copies were sold. All of the proceeds went towards the charities that they support.

I love to collect cookbooks. Now... I feel so lucky because are 3 YIWC cookbooks in my cookbook collection!

More later…

Thursday, October 26, 2006

October... breast cancer awareness month

October... breast cancer awareness month



My mom passed away in 1991 because of breast cancer. I wish I could share this with her...

made with flickr toys

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

How a lovely young lady joined the family...

Here is more history about Megumi (Meg) the kitten (now full grown young lady) or should I say the best thing that has happened...

In November 2003, my husband asked me what I wanted for our Anniversary. He also mentioned that I could combine it with Christmas if I wanted. Well... on one Saturday morning, as we were going to the supermarket in the car, I mentioned that I wanted to get a kitten. The first reaction was that if we have one... "It is your responsibility!" "Do you have the time to take care of one?" and so on and on were the questions. The outcome was that he agreed that I could have a mixed breed. We went to a reliable vet and they mentioned that there were no kittens available until April/May from the strays that they receive from the neighborhood. I cried after we left the office.

I mentioned that my husband should read some books about cats. He never had a cat and had no knowledge of what to do or how to take care of one. The books from the library showed different pedigrees and he was mesmerized by the Russian Blue's grey color, temperament, and kept staring at the intense green eyes of the adults shown in the books. Well... I began thinking and in January 2004 decided that we should get a kitten and enjoy her during the winter days and nights. I had to go to the Greater Area of Tokyo with my car and decided to check all of the pet stores on my way home. I found 3 kittens at 2 different pet stores. The first Russian Blue female was a little scared of me, her brother was ready to jump down and run around... so I decided that I should go on to another store in that chain. There... I was introduced to another Russian Blue female who immediately began to purr in my hands, moved to the elbow area of my arm and sleep until I had to put her back in her cage (because the store was going to close). So... for 30-40 minutes I was in a dream-like state with what I believed was the kitten that should be mine.

I returned home and explained my day's experience and that she was expensive (but was 10% off because of a January sale). My husband said that it was too much money and again I was disappointed because I thought Meg wouldn't be mine. (We had already selected the name during the first discussion.) He said he needed to think about it until the next morning. At 5:00 the next morning, he turned on the light and announced that he had been thinking and if I am so sure with this kitten, I should go get her as soon as the store opened. I cried because it was true... she was going to be mine! However, my husband demanded that a scratching post, food, litter box, litter, toys, travel case, bed, and so on should come home with Meg, too. Well... off that morning in the early morning, I went with the car to a DIY store for the major purchases before I visited the pet store (just as the store opened).

I arrived and there was Meg. I had to wait till they fed all of the animals and watch her to be sure that she was really the kitten that I wanted. The staff were so helpful with making this possible by moving the cage closer for me to watch her. I held Meg 2 more times and knew she really was the one because she was so happy when she was with me.


Megumi - 2 years old


Now, she is almost 3 years old. I really realize that Meg is a different type of kitten than typical Russian Blue cats. She absolutely adores people who come for a visit. (I had lots of people over for lunch during her first 2 weeks to get used to having people here.) I stayed home with her for the first 10 days to get her to trust me and feel at home with us. Afterall, we were almost 50 and with a lifetime of a well cared for cat being 14-20 years, we might only have the chance to enjoy one pedigree cat because of the cost.

more later
... there is always another day...

Friday, October 13, 2006

My cat teapot is ready for a cup of tea!

In August, I painted this teapot while on a short trip. This is what it looked like right after I painted the decorations in underglaze. If you would like to read that story, I described it in martiancat's August 18, 2006 blog.

This is a photo of showing the underglazed teapot.


my hand-painted teapot...



Today, it arrived from Nagoya... it had to be fired in Nagoya and it was shipped to my apartment. This was the first time in 20 years that I used underglazes on porcelain. One of the biggest mysteries is how your painting turns out after it is dipped and fired.

I am so happy to say that it turned out "lovely..." Now, it is ready for me to make a cup of tea in it! I can hardly wait until tomorrow to use it...


cat teapot is ready for tea!



more later...