お正月のお楽しみ

These are prize money for the winner of the games; "UNO", some other card games and mah-jong. My father, who always thinks about what he would enjoy doing with his dearest granddaughter, started making these packs early in December! He couldn't wait to see her. My niece happily drew the words or pictures on them as soon as she arrived our home for a new year. Perfect combination! Almost all day during the new year holiday, we played some kinds of games together and each of us got some of these prizes. My niece looked happier to get this prize money, than being given Otoshidama(New year's gift money for children), though the amount of the prize is much smaller. ( inside them was only 100 yen coin ).
お正月には家族でトランプやゲームに明け暮れ、いつも父が賞金を出します。孫と何をして遊ぶかそればかり考えて、孫に会いたくてたまらない父は、１２月に入るとせっせと封筒作りを始めたそうです。お正月にやってきた姪は、大喜びでそこに文字やイラストを描いて、こんなに作ってしまいました。姪は賞金ゲットに大はりきり。中に入っているのは１００円とかそんな金額なんですが、お年玉をもらう時よりもはるかに興奮して嬉しそうなのです。子供って無邪気。金額じゃないんだね。

冬山デビュー

I've got my own crampons, an ice ax, winter outfits, to hike winter mountains. Yesterday I made my debut as an winter hiker, at Tateshina mountain(2,530m). A great day in beautiful beautiful white forests glowed in the blue clear sky.
アイゼン・ピッケルなどの冬山装備をやっと揃えて、蓼科山で冬山デビューを果たしました。昨日は快晴。深く青い空に、真っ白な木々が本当に美しかった。森林限界を超えて岩陵帯に入ると、一段と空に近づいた気分です。悪天候の冬山は危険ですが、天気がよければあれほど美しいものはありません。

Making smoked foods 燻製作り

Last week I tried making smoked foods:smoked chicken, cheese, sausages, bacon. It was my first experience, and was really fun & easy. We set the foods inside the cardboard boxes, made fires with charcoals, put plates with cherry-tree chips and rosemary on it, and covered them with the cardboard boxes with foods inside them. And after some hours....

Hmmmm! pleasant smelling!!!

"Smoking" can be one of my next hobbies. Not smoking cigarettes!

A Happy New Year

Hey friends, how are the things these days?? I haven't written here for a long time. Having many things to write, didn't have enough time to write, and the biggest problem was my very old computer! Now it is almost dying and sometimes I cannot even start "WORD." Using my computer is like taking care of some fragile or like talking with very old ― 100-year-old people. You'll never know when it answers you. I am always trying not to miss the chance to use it properly with great patience.

This is just to inform you guys that I am alive, I am fine, and still want to keep in touch with you! Still some more time to upload new posts with some photos.
Hi M, I removed the link to yours, don't worry.
Stephen, I've got the notice of your greeting card, but still cannot open the file!