Japan, Nature, Photography

Closing Out the Year with Rice Lake Walk, Japanese Traditions

We took a walk around Rice Lake in North Vancouver, BC, on the last day of 2024.

Happy New Year!

Nature photos from Rice Lake in North Vancouver, BC

Yumi is preparing some Japanese treats for New Year’s Eve including Chawanmushi, and we’ll end the evening with Toshikoshi Soba — buckwheat noodles in a chicken broth that have have various symbolic meanings.

Buckwheat noodles break easily, so some say you’re breaking with the past on the last day of the year. Buckwheat noodles are also long and healthy, symbolic of a long life ahead. . .
Society

Keep That Annual Physical Going

Been doing my annual round of medical tests — bloodwork, FIT, ultrasound. . .

Somehow these all landed in my vacay time around Christmas and New Year’s 🙂. Oh well, had a bunch of vacay lined up anyway, and it’s been pretty much rain every day here on the west coast of BC.

When hundreds of millions of people are starving around the world, and tens of millions are under attack by totalitarian dictatorships, it’s stupid to be grumpy about not being able to eat or drink for 12 hours ahead of getting some tests done.

I should be grateful the tests are being done, and that a little over 12 hours from now, there’s a full fridge and cupboards to come home to after my morning visit to the lab.

Anyway, I know finding and having a family doctor has been tough for years in BC, and I treasure mine, but if you can, get your annual testing done somehow, somewhere.

It’s so much better to catch things developing than to have them discovered full blown, eh?

Nature, Pets, Society, Writing

Earning Trust and Love

Sora the Cat has been very happy that Daddy has a long vacay over the year-end/New Year season. Lots of snoozing and paw/hand-holding going on . . .

Sora the Cat holding hands

From the most shy and skittish rescue cat I’ve adopted in my life, to blossoming into one of the most ardent love bugs, it’s so rewarding to have earned her complete trust.

There are many relationship lessons to learn here, and in no particular order:

Accept where a person or animal is at this moment

Give them time and space

Don’t force things on them, including yourself, despite your best intentions

Be aware of their boundaries, be they mental or physical

Be still, be quiet, let them approach you when ready

When that “first contact” happens, don’t gush, stay calm

Resist the urge to immediately initiate reciprocal contact

Wait for that tentative, shy head butt

Wait for that tail to curl around your ankle or arm

And. . . once you’ve earned all of the above, remember that there is still respect, still some boundaries, eh?

And once you share that trust, never fail them.

Streamkeeping, sustainability, community, business, photography, books, and animals, with occasional forays into social commentary. Text and Photos © Paul Cipywnyk