Search This Blog

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Ramblings



Any other crafters with birds? keohinani pointed out that many knitters have cats while she has a yarn eating Rottweiler. I have one peach faced cockatiel and a green canary. Mr. Canary declined to be photographed as he was having a bad feather day. He is old and moulting, which always makes him self conscious. Since he got older, white feathers and all, he doesn't sing like he did, but still likes lettuce and celery.

The cockatiel loves to sit on my shoulder but also has a bad habit of chewing on anything shiny, like my necklaces. She destroyed two chains already. She likes walking around in the craft room finding pins and yarn scraps.

And of course I got fishies! Actually my son caught some tide pool fishes when he was five-ish (he's 21 now) and they are now sashimi size and living in a tank on my patio. I wonder what the lifespan of aholehole and manini is?

I'm off to Maui for a meeting tomorrow. It's been awhile. I loved going to Maui to visit my grandma when I was young. She was able to live at home alone until she was 96 and I miss her so. She made the worlds best Shoyu Chicken! From her I learned that a musubi should never be round (round ones are for funerals!) She also I had an interesting random way of cutting up her vegetables for nishime. I never asked her why. I read some where about it being a Zen thing, but maybe that's just the way her mom did it. She took me to the samurai movies when there were Japanese theaters in downtown Honolulu. Her favorite was Chushingura, a tale of loyalty and obligation that is a Japanese classic. I didn't really understand it as a child, but it has been remade many times and I finally got it.

3 comments:

Jillio said...

wow, cute birdie! i have birds, but they're old and grouchy so i don't play with them. i used to have lovebirds, too, but we kept them in a large cage outside. the cats in our neighborhood figured out how to open the door, so one morning we went out and found the cage empty. i like to think they flew away to safety....

chris said...

Hmmm....sashimi sized fishies and a cockatiel seem like a lethal combination. ;-) Have fun in Maui tomorrow! Grandmas always make the best shoyu chicken. I got busted for making round musubi, too, and also for pouring water "dead man's style." Who knew? My DH always talks nostagically about the Japanese theaters downtown. His late father used to take him to see all the Zatoichi and Kozure Okami stuff. Are you watching the Matsudaira Ken Chushingura now? I don't want to get addicted to any more shows! Yoshitsune and Heaven's Coin are enough for me. (I know, I'm so ashamed to admit I watch that cruddy soap trilogy, but I do!!)

Anonymous said...

Love the little fishies and the story about your Grandmother.

I was taught never to make round musubi too, that and never ever ever stick your chopsticks standing straight up into your rice.

Have a nice time in Maui.