An eye patch off

Having finished the surgery of cataracts on the left eye, I have had the eye patch taken away today. It was really annoying to have it. It was also a disturbance to drive car as well since I had to drive with only right eye. As soon as I got out of the clinic without the eye patch, I felt this good weather had invited me for a short drive, even though I fully knew it was not an advisable behaviour for a patient on recovery of the surgery. I could not resist to go out in the crystalline clear sky with mild breeze. I haven't driven anywhere except for a supermarket and the clinic for several weeks. I was wearing the UV cut guard glasses while driving.

Driving 10 minutes from the clinic, I reached a foot of Mt, Tsukuba. It is 877m high above sea level, the most prominent mountain in this area. From Fukushima, there is a mountain range named Yamizo mountains running north to south. This mountain is located the southern end of that range. It is the most conspicuous mountain in this area as told above, so that there are a few communication relay facilities on its peak. There are a famous driving course along the range and a few parking lots along it. 

Though imperfect, the mountain had the umbrella like cloud on the peak. The sun ray was so bright as if in spring, which could be thanks to my better vision as well.     

The view over to south from the range. Thirty or 40 miles south west of this place, the city of Tokyois located. Tsukuba city is only a few miles west, where our daughter is working busily. Some 30 years ago, I used to bring family every January here and took photos on the lawn along the road. It was scheduled every 15th of Jan, a national holiday those days. We have done that for a few years. I have remembered of that driving alone the winding road on the range. 

One of the foots of the mountain. Some woods and farms were spreading there. A peaceful scenary.

This week end, I will have the practice of piano trio after almost a year long hiatus. Then, a week later, we will perform a piece at a small concert in Tokyo. 

What made me happiest with this eye surgery was that I could read the music score without glasses. I would enjoy this period given to me for a while playing with those great company. I should thank the ophthalmologist for what he has done for me. Even though he is an experienced doctor, he might feel a bit stress to treat me. In addition to being an ex doctor, I have not been a loyal patient!

Plum blossoms

I happened to find a few plum blossoms coming out in the garden this afternoon. They are ushering in the arrival of spring here. It is still getting frozen every morning. But the plum tree must know that the daytime getting longer. It tells we won't need to endure this bleak weather too long for now.

For what am I moved by such a small thing? I might have overlooked when I was young. This tree is placed just before the dining kitchen of the my parents' house. They might have had fun watching these flowers coming out. Again I thought of the flow all the lives shared at this moment. I am sure my parents used to feel in the same fashion if not being clearly conscious of that.

Pleasure to do with the variation of Brahms

As I have written else where in this blog, all the variations by Brahms attract me a lot. He has composed a part of or whole music in many works with this technique. Coming up with at this moment, I could count several variations composed by him, such as Haydn Variation, the 4th movement of Symphony Nr4, the 2nd movement of String Sextet Nr2 or the 4th movement of Clarinet Quintet. This one, the 2nd movement of Piano Trio Nr2 could not be forgotten. The passionate beautiful theme is given by the strings in unison. It will be varied with different rhythms and tonalities. The melodies are all fascinatingly impressive to me. In every variation, there is a song like breathing, crescendo and slight accelerando toward the climax, and then decrescendo and slight ritardando toward the end of the variation. 

What was this form of music meant to Brahms? I don't know of the answer to this question. Undoubtedly, this form must have not been only a composing technique but have been a form quite necessary to express himself. Life must be like a variation for him, I guess.

As I already told here, with the cataracts surgery done, I could read the score quite well. Before that, flats and sharps looked the same! Reading score is only the very 1st step in performance. But this is a big difference. I asked the violinist and the pianist to start practicing the trio again. They had been so kind to offer that last year when I told them I should quit the ensemble with the vision problem. In a week after the 2nd surgery, we will be immersed in this music. On Jan 31st, we will bring it to a small concert held for amateur players in Tokyo.       

This is another performance by the musicians in '50s. I love this dignified way of performance as well. I still remember, when the cello solo by Mainardi started playing the last variation of sadness in the 2nd movement, I felt my heart was tremoring with its beauty.

I don't know how long I could play such a music by myself even with better vision. Not so long, I believe. So far as I am allowed to do that, however, I still appreciate it from the bottom of my heart and go on enjoying it with such nice company.

Again on Okinawa

In the Congress, there have been the diet deliberations going on. I have watched a part of it as the live program on the TV this afternoon.

An opposition lawmaker has given questions to the government. He has been elected in Okinawa. His question was what the government had done against the problem by the US troops in Okinawa.

According to his saying, there have been flight training of helicopters etc in the habitation area around Futenma. Ospray has been flying around Henoko. The people have had terrible noises due
to shell processing training at the US military base. The noises were so loud as over 100dB at a habitation area. That training has been made late at night or very early in morning. It is against humanity.

It seems our government won't protest or claim about these problems to the US military. Or, even if they make an offer for improvement to the US military, nothing has been changed. It seems the US military takes Okinawa as a territory. Even after 70 years have passed since the end of WWII. This deliberation has made me feel suspicious of the independent status of our country.

Is it a small problem? In addition to these serious troubles regarding daily lives of the citizens, Okinawa has suffered from crimes by the US military for the past decades. The US military base has been in extraterritoriality. If US military personnel have committed a crime during their duty, our police and justice could do nothing for them. If the criminals are in the base, our police could not arrest them.

At present, all politicians elected in Okinawa belong to any opposing parties. No LDPJ, the ruling party, politicians elected. The governor has been in strict conflict with the government regarding the new base construction at Henoko. The public opinion in Okinawa is converging into the anti US military base, whatever party it might be. I am afraid the present situation will hurt the interest of the US if it is allowed to be as it is.

Sea bream with sweet and sour sauce

Sea bream was sold in the super market the other day. As shown on the photo below, the body was cooked with sweet and sour sauce while the head was used for the stock of soup. The tiny bones were a bit troublesome when we ate it. But it turns out very good.

Waking up

Fabian DJ1YFK has made an application to show us how long an FOC member has spent on the the air throughout a year, that is, exactly speaking, how many times his/her signal has been captured by the skimmers in a year. Since I knew of my data, which was surprisingly long!!, over 2000 hours a year!!, I felt a bit reluctant to do the same thing as before. I don't know why. Possibly, this fact made me consider if it was worth spending such long time for calling CQ without any meaningful QSOs. Actually, it is not rare that I have not got any call for half an hour or even longer. If I should get a call from somebody, it would rarely be a real conversational QSO. It is as if I looked for a jewel on vast beach. My memory of good old days might have made me go on calling CQ. But, now, I have woke up!! and have known it was not worth spending so much time and energy to seek a guy who makes me happy with a meaningful QSO.

This might be related with having the surgery of cataracts recently. This illness could be easily cured with it. However, at my age, any other illnesses of elderly, probably more serious than cataracts, could occur to me any time from now on. I feel I should spend each day in the way I won't regret later.

Secondly, with the better vision, I could read the score clearly like before. I have decided to return to ensemble of piano trio. The pianist and the violinist have kindly waited for me coming back. In 6 days after the 2nd surgery on the left side, I would have a practice with them. Participation to a small concert is scheduled in Tokyo on 31st of this month. What a joy!

I am not depressed or disappointed at this decision regarding reduction of operation hours at all. Rather, I feel I have woke up as I told before. This could be a trick of the senses. Let's see how I would be changed in some time. But I feel this sense of wake up won't be changed so much in any time.

Of course, I won't quit ham radio or CW at all. I still have a lot of good close friends on the air. It is a real pleasure for me to converse with them. Maybe, this "wake up" may change my style of operation from calling CQ many times to just watching the bands and giving a call to close friend of mine. Of course, there could be exceptional situations as well. In good condition, it is thrilling to call CQ waiting for good friends of mine. I would not do calling CQ to no avail for an hour or even longer etc. Surely, I would give a shout to any good friend or a good CW operator.

   

Something insane is going on

We live in the community we belong to. There is the life of the family, the relationship with the neighbors, the infrastructure we live on and the circumference we live in. It is the hometown for us. When we lose it, it means we lose the base of our livelihood. It is comparable to our death.

The census last year has revealed the population of four towns at and around the nuclear power plant destructed almost 5 years ago is zero. There used to be people of 55347 living there in 2010. These people and some others have had to take refuge somewhere since the accident in 2011. They are as good as forced to die due to that accident since they have lost their hometown.

The cause of the accident has not yet been elucidated. The melt down plants were not controlled yet. No prospect for control of the nuclear contamination yet. Without resolving these problems, how could they restart operation of the other nuclear power plants? The government has, however, started running a nuclear power plant in Kagoshima last year. They are going to run another near Kyoto. If another serious accident occurs there, the other plants, more than a dozen in the vicinity, would be uncontrollable. It should cause much worse contamination in Western Japan including Kyoto and Osaka. They will lose the water reserving lake of Biwako as well. It would destroy whole Western Japan. It means our country won't pull it through then.

Those deciding to run the other nuclear power plants are comfortably off in Tokyo, where they have enjoyed the power sent from the nuclear power plants in Fukushima for decades. Even while so many people should live as refugees elsewhere far from their hometown. Something insane is going on.