What Made me Happy in January (2020)…..

Apple Pie flavored Mochi Ice Cream

As a fan of all things Japanese, Mochi are something I have become familiar with over the years. They’re a pastry typically made of flavored bean paste topped off with a generous sprinkle of powdered sugar. They come in both the room temperature variety and ice cream ones which can be bought either in a box or individually (at least at Whole Foods Market). I’ve had the red bean, green tea, and taro varieties. Of the ice cream type I’ve only tried the Pumpkin and Apple Pie flavors. Of all these, I cannot recommend highly enough the Apple Pie flavor. It’s a little taste explosion in your mouth and definitely tastes like what it is. This isn’t a treat just for autumn, but can certainly be appreciated year round. I just think it’s nice when you discover something unexpected like this (the surprise being that it was as tasty as it was). I look forward to trying some of the other flavors like the Yuki and Love Strawberry and the Yuki and Love Lychee (both available at a Costco World Market store near you).

James May in Kyoto for the first episode of “James May Our Man in Japan.”

I know I already talked about this, but I really enjoyed watching this episode and imagining what it would be like if I was there riding a sled being pulled by dogs or participating in the team snowball fight. I know the language barrier would not be an issue doing that. I think “Ouch” is the same in every language! I also hadn’t realized either of these things were something they did in Japan, so I learned something. The rest of the episodes have been equally interesting, educational and definitely entertaining!

Watching a colorful Nature Program on Amazon Prime

I was skimming the vast amount of programs on offer on Amazon Prime (a channel that I often forget about when I am on Netflix) and came across “Through the Garden Gate – A Diary of the English Countryside.” As I was also trying to sort through some papers, I figured this might be a good program to have on in the background. It definitely was, but it also drew my attention every time a colorful bird flew onto the scene or a fox trotted across the screen. I found myself watching more and more and doing a little less sorting. Stephen de Vere, the director, is a very lucky man to have this much wildlife only a short walk from home. I would definitely be out there too photographing it all while he prefers the video mode. Thanks Mr. de Vere for sharing the fruits of your labor out in the field.

Having a Chat with a Friend at a Party

I was recently at my husband’s annual company post-Christmas party, which, even though it’s a company party, is usually pretty enjoyable since his coworkers are a pretty nice bunch, as are the company founders. Unlike in previous years, there was no theme to this year’s party. In the past we’ve attended a comedy show at The Funny Bone, had a magician perform for us, played Family Feud using a similar stage set-up like you see on the TV show (did that two years in a row), played BINGO, and had a French chef prepare a multi-course meal for us (definitely one of my favorites!).

This year’s party was a gathering at a small space on the OSU campus where we were fed appetizers and had an open bar, access to Mario Kart on a big screen and a two person band who entertained us all evening. Did I mention it was a small space and there was a band? Those who know me know I am also hard-of- hearing, so it quickly became difficult to carry on a conversation, so I was pretty much ready to leave after the first hour.

However, a friend (Robin) who is the wife of one of Andrew’s coworkers came over for a chat. I had spent quite awhile talking to her at last year’s party, so we’ve kind of struck up a friendship of sorts. Though it was difficult to converse, we both made an effort and had a nice chat a couple different times over the course of the evening. She definitely made the party a lot more bearable, though I wish there was a quieter corner we could have escaped to to make it easier on both of us. Still, thanks for the conversation Robin. It’s always a pleasure talking to you at these company events and it’s nice to know there’s a friendly face out there who is in the same boat as me as a Plus One.

Walking with a Couple of my Friends/Neighbors

This is a shout-out to Valerie and her husband who graciously allowed me to tag-along on one of their evening strolls while I was out walking. I hadn’t necessarily planned on going as far as we did, but I definitely benefited from the exercise and I still got back in plenty of time to help with dinner.

Walking with friends is definitely the way to go when you have lots to talk about and want to get in lots of steps. It also helps hold you accountable if someone else is relying on you as a walking buddy (though we haven’t set up that arrangement). I think this would be fun to do once a week to catch up on a little neighborhood gossip and what’s going on in each other’s lives.

I also occasionally run into another neighbor (Leisha) I have become friends with after discovering we have a mutual friend in common but didn’t realize it. I love when the universe reveals these little surprises and truly makes it feel like a small world sometimes.

Valerie and Leisha, et al are a couple of the reasons I love our neighborhood so much. The more you get out and walk around and get to know your neighbors, the smaller your world becomes. I’m still a long way from knowing even a fraction of my neighbors, but over time I hope to get to know more of them.