Country Christmas Tree

I cut up lemons and dried the pieces on the kerosene heater that is in our classroom. The students helped us tie ribbons to the lemons and string popcorn. We chopped down a tree and carried it up to the cabin. And then we decorated it together.



There is no electricity in the cabin so our pine is illuminated by the almost full moon and candlelight.

It really is a country Christmas tree.

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Cabin Completion

Here we are with a few of our friends on the very last day of completing our little cabin. We just finished painting the floor and are on the deck watching the sunset and celebrating.

It is good to be done but the feeling is bittersweet. Many weekends were spent together with friends working side by side, laughing, chatting, scratching our heads in confusion, taking coffee and lunch breaks as we built this little place.

But now it is time to spend time here listening to the crackling fire, reading books, drinking tea, sharing meals.....

Would you like to see inside?




There is a little boot room and kitchen to the left...you can't see them in this photo.



My husband is sighing with relief. After reading many books, consulting with many people, getting sore muscles, thinking of very creative ways to get recycled materials and other supplies we needed...he did it!

His hard work was all worth it because this little place is as cozy as it looks!

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Running in the Classroom

In order to visit the old Mongolian oak, you have to travel up and down some hills.
The kids were keen to make this fun and race to a few finish lines!

Notice there is no snow here yet!


Admiring the Old Oak.


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Life in the Fast Train

At the end of October we traveled south to a friend's wedding in Hagi City which is in Yamaguchi Prefecture on the Island of Honshu (the main Island of Japan).

We spent some time in Hiroshima visiting family and then took the shinkansen (bullet train) to Yamaguchi City.

This is a photo I took of us in the shinkansen window as we sped through a dark tunnel. These trains travel at speeds of up to 300 kilometers and hour.



It is exciting to see other parts of Japan.

But I am always happy to come home to our much slower life on the horse farm.

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Christmas Past and Present

I spoke to my Father on the telephone today and asked him how he used to celebrate Christmas when he was a kid growing up in Croatia.

He said that his family would go out to find a tree on Christmas Eve. It would be small enough to fit on the kitchen table. Straw was put beneath it and candies, glass balls, and homemade decorations would be used to make it festive.

My Grandmother would put a pork roast, (specially selected by Grandpa - who was a butcher), into the oven and the whole family would head off to midnight mass. By the time they would come home it would be very early Christmas morning...that roast and many other fixings would be ready for eating.

A turkey was later eaten for Christmas Day dinner.

At this point in the conversation my mouth began watering. Dad was surprised when I told him that I could not buy a pork roast or a turkey in the grocery stores here. I reminded him that most Japanese people do not have ovens...where on earth would they cook them?

The popular item to eat at Christmas in Japan is Christmas cake that you buy from the convenience or grocery stores. These cakes are often topped with cream and strawberries and come with birthday candles. I have asked a few people, 'What are the birthday candles for?' So far, no one has been able to answer my question. In Hokkaido (the most northern and coldest area of Japan) these popular cakes are often made out of ice-cream!

Holy Icebergs Santa!

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