A big meeting with family members

 It was a quite busy day today. As soon as getting up, I started preparing miso soup featuring home grown radish and sweet potatoes for the material. Peeling apples and cutting strawberries. Placing the chairs around the table necessary for the members in this gathering, that is, 7 of them. Went for shopping something necessary and getting sushi for the lunch while cleaning the living dining room. Being sociable to others was a hard task for me. 

As foretold in the previous post, 6 of the folks have arrived before noon. My sister, her two children, that is, a niece and a nephew, niece's husband, a cousin's daughter and her son. Luckily or unluckiliy, my wife was on her duty and absent at home. They have come here to visit my parents' grave as well as cousin's. I have never met the cousin's son, who is starting a university life this spring. As is the way with such a meeting, the main personality is my sister. A lot of talks of the past and the people who already went away. This is my sister explaining of the album she has made. The old photos showed the life at this place, an old sanatorium, and the people there. There were photos I have never seen before, such as those of my maternal grandparents. When I was four or five years, our family moved to Tokyo. Without that exodus, what life would I have spent here? Just a farmer? I am becoming an amateur farmer at present. Thinking of the fate, I could not help being deeply moved at it. 

So far as my sister told me today, our father was not very happy working at the sanatorium then. That was the real reason of the exodus. It was coincident with that anti tuberculosis med were developed and the tuberculosis was not necessarily fatal at that time. Whatever the reason why my father might decide to move to Tokyo, it was the good timing for us to go. Our country would enjoy the era of high economic growth that enabled this poor family could live on and their children including myself could attend to universities. Not a success story but a fate we could explore our lives all by chance.

A couple of hours have passed so quickly. They have left for the graves. When they have gone and our house has retained its quietness again, I felt I have not been socialized for quite some time. Preparation for such a meeting was a bit laborious. But it is still worth having another in some time. Not too soon, though.

In the sunny afternoon, I have planted dozens of potatoes in the small farm. A few more dozens of potatoes are waiting to be planted in the kitchen. Farming will keep me so busy for the coming weeks. A fun season has started.