Dear friends,
Happy Earth Week! I have used this picture before, but I never thanked the author. Thank you Greg. I love it very much. And if I am not mistaken, This picture was done on my birthday. I think the first time I used it , was for that reason. I am not sure how I came across the information. Perhaps in EarthSky News Newsletter.
So, another little seven-day package is coming to an end, and another one will soon begin. Earth Week is a time I use to plan what I will add to the garden in order to promote bee activity. I love having them around. I am going to take a Montessori approach, serving two purposes at once: to inform and encourage a wonderful approach to education. I will post these updates on Wednesdays.
"Moriko" (which I changed to mean "child of the forest") is almost ready. I am two or three days away from finishing my edit. I hope to return it to my editor by Wednesday.
I am finding that the cover design is more challenging than I expected. I do love the sun, as I often photograph it, and it is a symbol of all things Japanese. However, I am unsure if changing the motifs inside the sun portion is sufficient. Murakami seems to think so, but I've realized that many of his books follow this idea. It might not be ideal to compete with such an established author. I will explore other ideas that come along.
Asian Historical Fiction and Japanese Historical Fiction are difficult categories. The best-seller list is dominated by well-known novels like "SHOGUN." I love those covers, and there are now copies available with beautiful covers based on the series. Choosing the right fonts is proving to be challenging as well. Any suggestions are welcome.
The board game is nearing completion for printing. It has been a really eye opening experience. I had never done anything like this and 3D printing and 2D printing and Laser printing (which can do intricate designs layer by layer) have such different requirements and skill sets for those preparing the files. And for me to understand them. I think I am about done, but you never know what is around the corner. The files have gone through a few revisions by everyone involved and they should be good to go - for the final printing.
Enjoy your Sunday,
Until next time,
Bee well,
Xanda
TWO HUNDRED SELECTED HAIKU
25 [1684] misoka tsuki nashi / chitose no sugi o / daku arashi NOTE [last-night-of-month moon is-not / thousand-year's sugi (acc.) / hold windstorm] last night of the month, no moon... a thousand-year old cedar caught in a windstorm NOTE: The first line of this haiku has seven, rather than five, syllables. This expansion is followed in the translation. 26 [1684] wuta yumi ya / biwa ni nagusamu / take no oku [cotton bow! / lute by console / bamboo's interior] cotton-beating bow, as consoling as a lute deep in the bamboos 27 [1684] tsuyu tokutoku / kokorimi ni ukiyo / susugabaya [dew drip drip / trial as floating-world / would-that-I-could wash] dew dripping, dripping... could I wash in it the dust of the floating world
"a lute deep in the bamboos" -- What a marvelous image!
<< dew dripping, dripping... >> The repetition of "dripping" is ingenious, and it restores the five syllables perfectly. My only question is whether one might consider a colon rather than ellipsis at the end, to prepare the "contrasting" concept.
Thanks for sharing, Xanda, and "keep 'em coming"!