Cherry Blossoms are Blooming

The cherry trees are finally blooming here in Nishiokoppe. They began blooming in Okinawa about two months ago. I guess you could say Hokkaido, being so far north, is a late bloomer. It was well worth the wait, though. They are really lovely. Not only are the trees sprouting colors, but also everyone’s yard is happily displaying a rainbow of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and narcissus. It’s so cheerful! The students and teachers are very busy preparing for the Sports Day Festival, which will take place on Sunday, May 28th. It’s a big event that the entire village looks forward to. I’ll be sure to blog about it afterwards and also to post lots of pictures.

For the Felkers, life keeps on moving. Aaron is finally back to his old self, except for a bit of a cough. We are so grateful that his mumps was not a bad case! Ridge and Holt are enjoying school very much. The other day, I heard Holt use some Japanese. He told Ryuya that his (Holt’s) drink was “oishii des,” which means, “It’s delicious!” His teacher told me that he is able to say please, thank you, good morning, and sorry. Both boys also can recite the little saying the kids all repeat before eating lunch. It’s sort of like, “thanks for the grub, dig in”. It’s very cute. I’ll have to grab a short video file of it to post.

Here are some miscellaneous pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

The main photo was taken late in the evening last night. It is the Buddhist temple directly across from our house. The trees in bloom are cherry trees. That Japanese call the cherry blossom, “sakura”.

Holt's plant umbrella
Look! The snow is gone!!
For contrast, a reminder of March's snow.

Getting ready for lunch at Nishiokoppe Elementary School