知人が宮城県に炊き出しに行った。
野菜やら衣服やらを持っていった。
それぞれの避難所や診療所では、必要とする
物資が違うので、個別の対応が大分喜ばれた
ようだ。少しばかりだが私の農産物なども持って
行ってもらってよかった。

A friend of mine went to Miyagi to help cook
food there. She took with her vegetables and garments.
Each evacuation station and medical site has its own
requirements so her preparation for the certain site
was very much appreciated. I asked her to bring some
of my produces which seemed to be welcome, too.

こんな時こそ足元を見つめなおそう。
便利を追い求めるのではなく、地道に
自分達の手をかけた安心なものを。

便利さを追求して、危険なものを作って
しまったことを反省しながら…。

という思いも込めて、味噌作りが
行われました。グリーンツーリズム研究会のメニューです。

私はどうしても参加できずに
さわりの写真撮影だけでした…。

遊休荒廃農地を耕して
大豆を造り、それを乾燥・餞別したものを
煮て手作りで仕込む味噌です。
美味しくないはずがないでしょう。
1年後が楽しみですよね。

At such a difficult time, let us look at where we are
and think what we can do. Let us not pursue the
convenience but do so the safety by doing ourselves
steadily. That is the idea behind our Green Tourism.
And by reflecting that we have made a dangerous
tool by pursing so-called civilized life.

That is the meaning we put in our miso paste
making activity the other day on a sunny Sunday
morning.

I was not able to stay with them for another
appointment but did take some pictures of the
smiles of the attendance.

We grew soy beans by cultivating the abandoned rice paddy,
dried and sorted them. The beans were boiled and made ready
for miso paste making. They were ground, mixed with salt
and fermented rice and put into a container for maturation.
Such hand crafted miso will surely be tasty after one year.

以外と寒い日が続いています。
標高が高いところでは朝方マイナス10度くらいに
なったようです。

軽トラの荷台の雪も直ぐには溶けず、
街中でも午後になってもまだ残っています。
明日も氷点下です。

被災地の皆さんが凍えませんように。
街では、多くの人がいろんな形で支援の
活動をしています。私も出来ることを
やっています。

原発も早く収束に向かって欲しいものです。
現地で頑張っている人たちに感謝しつつ。

We had cold weather for a few days. The temperature went down
to 10C below zero this morning at a higher altitude town in Suzaka.

The snow on my ute stays there until afternoon and that in town, too.
The temperature tomorrow is expected below zero tomorrow morning
again.

I hope the sufferers from the earthquake and the tsunami will some
warmth somehow. I find so many people doing something for them now
and I am, too.

I hope the troubles at the nuclear power station in Fukushima will be
on the right truck to be solved sooner. Many thanks to the efforts being
made over there.

冬の終わりの日の、静かな夕刻。
普段と何の変哲も無いありきたりな
時間なのだが、そのひと時が実はとても
ありがたいものだったのだ。

普通に水が飲めて、食べ物を口にできて
つらい思いをすることなく眠ることが
出来る。

急ぐ必要はない。踊らされる必要もない。
しっかりと日々の幸せをかみ締めて生きていられる
事が、どれほどありがたいことか。

感謝と謙虚さを思う。

大変な思いをしている人たちに一日も早く平穏な
日々が戻りますように。

A quiet sunset at the end of winter. It is just another
ordinary day with nothing special. But I found it a
very precious and thankful moment.

To drink water, to have something to eat and to sleep
without pain, they are found now not easy things at all.

No need to rush for so-called prosperity and no need to be chased
to run for something that somebody think important but are actually
not. How wonderful and merciful to live every day by finding
and feeling how happy we are in the way that we are.

Let’s remember the world full of appreciation and modesty described in the
Curfew painting.

May peaceful days return as soon as possible to the people suffering now.

金曜日からの東京出張がなくなったので
今日は須坂市にある銀座通り商店街での
イベントのお手伝いで、ワインの試飲を
やりました。

有料試飲100円として全て募金とさせて頂きました。
募金箱に500円、1,000円と入れる方もおり、こちらも
頑張って、短い時間だったのですが
3本ほど開けました（あちこちに募金箱が
あるので100円でも大歓迎なんですよ）。

幸いお天気も終了時間まではもち、急遽災害応援
イベントに変更になった通りは、商店街の人が
驚くほどの人出となりました。

As the business trip on Friday through today to Tokyo
was cancelled, I helped the event held in Suzaka Ginza
Street today and offered wine tasting for a small charge.

I collected 100yen per small portion of wine for donation
to help people in Tohoku area at the event. Some people
paid 500yen or 1000yen which encouraged me to open
additional bottles. In rather a short time, I opened three
bottles. Of course, no complain for 100 yen donation
because there were so many donation boxes elsewhere.

Thanks to the kind and favorable weather during the event which was
converted to Help Tohoku disaster and Nagano earthquake
from celebrating the renovation of the street, there were
so many people came to stroll to the surprise of the people
living along the Ginza street.