Mookoo's Home (木咕子的家)

2022年1月14日星期五

The Memorial Day! (懷念的日子)

#2022-0114

On the way to her mother's house, Jean and I were in our car, which I was driving so fast on the freeway.

"Time does fly!" I said. "When did Papa leave us? Do you remember?"

"You mean my dad?" she replied seriously, "He died in the same year when Little Bee (our first grandchild) was still in his mother's womb, not yet born! . . . It was in January 2010; but by the Lunar calendar, it was the 12th month of the Year of the Ox (ca. 2009)."

"So it's been twelve years!"

"Almost... oh yes, exactly twelve years, according to the lunar calendar."

"Mama is luckier than Papa." I said. "She sees Anzhen (their youngest child) so successful these years -- long after Papa passed away."

"But Mom has experienced much more 'suffering' than Dad, hasn't she?" Jean told me that the longer one lives, the more he or she has to be concerned with. In her words, "shorter life, less worries." The word worries meant almost the same as burden, or responsibility, in the context of our conversation.

"If I can't be healthy," she added, "I don't want to live to be very old."

"Anyway, one cannot decide how many days to live on the earth." I concluded, "The length of our life on earth should be settled by God our Lord. What we need to do is live as well as possible!" I emphasized the word well in the phrase "as well as possible." I tried to speak calmly, as though I were a great teacher; however, I was not very sure about what the word well should be defined.

Well, a few weeks earlier, my mother-in-law reminded us of the Memorial Day of our Papa. Indeed, we have all missed Papa very much. And after returning to Dajia, where Mama lives, Jean and I celebrated this special day (which is called Jìrì in Mandarin) together with Mama and with some of her other children (and grandchildren).

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Note: The first two pictures below were taken in 2010 (See 大安的海邊); the third one, in 2001 (copied from 象鼻山：照片共４組). And the last two are "recent photos" taken last September (See A Special Joint Birthday Party).

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相關文章 (See also)：

1) 大安的海邊 (2010)

2) 午後陽光 (2010)

以上照片分別拍攝於

2010年11月 (取自大安的海邊) 和

2001年 (取自象鼻山：照片共４組)

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以下照片拍攝於2021年9月

(取自 A Special Joint Birthday Party)

2022年1月11日星期二

Inspired by Pure White (靈感來自純白)

#2022-0111

Inspired by Pure White

（靈感來自純白）

Photographed by Mookoo Liang

2022年1月8日星期六

海魚三吃 (生魚片 / 煮湯 / 燒烤)

#2022-0108

Tingshuo zhe shi feichang zhen'guide yizhong haiyu (海魚). Kexi wo jibuzhu ta jiao sheme mingzi.

Yu de zhongduan -- ye jiu shi shenti zhuyaode buwei -- zuo shengyupian (生魚片; Riwen chengwei 刺身 / Sashimi) lengdong-hou tigong sheng chi.

Chi shengxia de shengyupian jiashang yu-weiba nalai zhu tang. Zhiyu yutou ze yonglai shaokao; shaokao-hou de moyang kan-qilai man tebie a! (See photos)

The photos were taken at Xi-Hai'an Restaurant
(or West Coast Restaurant), in Da'an, where
we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1) Happy Birthday to My Mother-in-Law (2021)

2) 岳母九十歲生日快樂 (A Birthday Party) (2019)

3) (照片轉分享) A Birthday Party (2018)

2022年1月7日星期五

What Memories Can a Rainy Day Bring Back?

#2022-0107

It's been raining since yesterday evening. Raining lightly, not heavily. It sounds that the rain, or drizzle, is going to stop completely soon. But it continues; it's still producing the sound of rain, affecting me in a low mood.

Yesterday afternoon Jean and I took a walk at about 5 o'clock. She had an umbrella in her hand. She wanted me to take one with me too. She was right. It was beginning to rain when we walked half the way up the small mountain near our house.

"What day is today?" she asked.

"Thursday," I said.

"What day of the month? I was asking the date!"

Without delay I replied, "January the 6th. The Epiphany -- today!"

"On the Epiphany last year was Mama's funeral," she said.

"Oh, yes! . . ."

My mother passed away on December 16, 2020, and I remember clearly that her funeral was held on January 6, 2021. So I said to her, "Of course, I remember. I've actually thought of Mama several times these days, but I didn't tell you about that."

I didn't want to remind my wife of this kind of thing, lest she would be too emotional. However, she told me she also thought of Mama several times in recent days. Both of us kept walking for one hour or so, with the umbrellas keeping ourselves from being wet. We were both in a low mood, yet neither of us shed a tear.

This morning Jean has a music class to attend. And I've been alone at home since she left home in the morning. Is it now a good time for me to do exercises? Or to practice the violin (as my homework)? Or is this the best chance for my personal meditation? -- say, missing my late parents and recollecting their and my own stories? . . .

The sound of rain has subsided. And in the end I'll no longer hear any of it, I believe.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1) 別了，親愛的母親 (2020)

2) Father, We Miss You 照片特輯 [A] (2015)

2022年1月5日星期三

A Picture of the Daisy Family!

#2022-0105

A bunch of flowers could be used as a gift to represent your friendship, your care and/or your love -- You see?

I like this photo of the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family (so much!) not because it shows something unusual or exceptional, but because it's shared by someone special -- My son!

My son shared with me some pictures he had taken in the Garden of Roses, Taipei (台北玫瑰園), where he and his wife and children went a few days ago. You know, I do like roses, and I love daisies even more!

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相關文章 (See also)：

1) The Flowers Are Budding (2021)

2) St. James' Day -- 慶祝「雅各堂」的生日 (2019)