Various news

Okay, bit of this and that again.

More animal problems. Choco bit one of my English students. No real damage and she didn't break the skin. The boy's grandmother is my friend and knows Choco so she doesn't hold it against us. There was NO English that day and I'd let Choco inside thinking that we had a free afternoon. The little boy forgot and he came scampering into the house as he usually does (I tell the kids to come on in because I can't be answering the front door each time one arrives.) Choco was sleeping near the sofa and they met head on. The boy was scared, the dog panicked and attacked. Furniture was upturned. I came running out of the other room yelling and rescued the boy and dragged Choco to her cage. The bite did not break the skin but there were teeth marks. The little boy didn't cry but was really scared. I took him home and apologized profusely. I hauled Choco to her kennel outside and left her there for the night with no dinner. I went back yesterday to make sure that the little boy was really all right and apologize again. He was fine yesterday and there weren't any marks left (except in his heart?). I promised him and his family that from now on whenever I let Choco into the house that I will lock the front door. I know I have a dog that doesn't like strangers and I've tried to be very careful to make sure she is either outside or in her cage when the English students are here. I guess I need to be even more careful.

On the good news side of my life my blog book arrived! It is not very big so cost wise it doesn't look like much. If I were buying a book this size, 30 pages, I might pay $10. It cost $30 to make (plus international shipping) but this it is made of heavy paper and the pictures came out very clear. I set the pages with a soft pink flower theme and "handwriting" font so it has a cozy feel. Yes, to have an physical account of one's blog I think it is worth the cost. I think I figure if I make a book 400 pages that the cost will be about $80 so my trial attempt wasn't particularly a thrifty way to go. I should have had more pages in it for the cost. (It is not a dollar per page). So I will be working on making a book of the 2007 blog and we'll see where that leads. No immediate plans to order that though just spend time some making it.

And this week I had a chance to visit with a young foreign student from Germany here going to a high school in the next city over. Seena, is only 16 and will be in Japan all together for a year. I really admire her for coming to a country where no one knows any German and even the English that may be used is a second language for both parties. Also amazed that she's only been studying English for 5 years and yet she is so fluent! Japanese will study English for years and years and not be able to carry on a steady conversation. I ought to go get some German English language curriculum. Someone taught Seena well!


And here is our kitten helping me machine quilt. Getting closer to a name but I want to try it out on my kids before I announce it here. Velvet, our oldest cat has accepted the little one but our Cleo and Patora are still wary. Hey you guys, you all started out the same way in our house!