Things I like to eat on a summer day.
Chilled watermelon, edamame beans to go with beer, and fluffy pumpkin.
I found these bitter melons hanging from a green curtain.
They're not very big, but I'm going to cook them for our dinner.
There are many other small bitter melons hanging in the green curtain.
I'm looking forward to seeing them grow bigger.
By the way, the scorching days are continuing.
I miss the evening showers.
My escape is to my air-conditioned room.
Trailing abutilon
This time, words of a bulletin board is
"Because of you, I am the person I am today.
Thank you.”
Image from the internet
Yesterday I cooked some zucchini that I received from a neighbor.
I sliced it into slices and made it into steak-like pieces.
I knew that we shouid be carefull of the betterness of zucchini.
I ate a slice of zucchini though It tasted bitter a little.
I ate a few slices without any problems, but the last one was extremely bitter.
I had to spit it out and rinse my mouth.
This is a bitter component called cucurbitacin, and if you eat a large amount, it can cause symptoms such as stomach pain,
diarrhea, and vomiting, and can become serious.
I shared some with my daughter, so I asked her about it, and she said that she made a summer vegetable curry and ate it, even
though it was bitter.
I was so worried, so I looked it up on the internet.
The incubation period for food poisoning from zucchini is about a few minutes to a few hours.
After that, nothing happened and my daughter's family seemed to be fine, so I was relieved.
It depends on the amount we eat, but if it tastes bitter, it's best to throw it away rather than eating it.
It's the height of summer, and it's very hot today too.
The cicadas started chirping a few days ago, and are noisy from early in the morning.
I wake up every day to the sound of cicadas chirping.
Persimmon Tree
The cicadas are singing loudly from early in the morning in the persimmon tree near my bedroom.
It gives me a sense of the heat of the day.
Cicada shell
I'll see it everywhere for a while.
brown cicada
It's clinging to the screen door.
The cicadas' chirps are annoying, but a summer without them might be unsatisfying.
A few years ago, I moved this Chinese lantern plant from a pot to the ground.
It finally started to bear fruit this year.
From now on, it will gradually turn red.
The fruit is similar to a lantern, and is sometimes displayed during the Obon period to guide the spirits of ancestors.
I hope that next year the plant will grow even more and bear more fruit.
Rose of Sharon, which had been slow to bloom because it was too hot until now, has finally started to bloom.
It has been raining since early this morning, and is still raining today.
It has been raining all day.
It has been a long time since I last saw rain, and it reminded me of a beautiful phrase I once heard.
"It's so good moisturizing."
The dry land is regaining moisture with this rain.
It may have even moisturized my aging skin...
I don't want heavy rain like that brought by a linear precipitation band, but today's moderate rain is a relief
and seems to moisturize my soul.
It looks like the scorching heat will return for a while from tomorrow.
flower of Licorice
My husband went out for Memorial service on the 49th day after death for a relative.
It may not be too hot on the way in the air-conditioned car.
It may not be too hot inside the hall during the service.
The problem is burying bones in a grave.
They'll have dinner in a cool restaurant afterwards.
But it must be hard working in this heat.
We can't choose the time of life or death, so it can't be helped.
I pray for the repose of the soul of my aunt-in-law, who passed away at the age of 93.
flower of bitter melon
One step after to a green curtain
As a way to combat the heat, I'm currently making a green curtain using bitter melon.
If it goes well, I'll be able to eat the bitter melon fruit too.
I'd like it to grow more, but perhaps the soil is bad or I'm not using enough fertilizer, and it's not going as well as I'd hoped.
Cheer up, bitter melon!
sky now
Is it impossible to exercise in this heat ?
Are middle school club activities cancelled today too ?
sunflower
I hope you are staying safe during this hot summer.
It's been extremely hot every day.
Please take care of yourself.
