Happy 4th of July.  Today is America's Independence Day, and I am celebrating at home . . . again.  Is freedom coming soon? I finally got my appointment for my corona vaccine, and yesterday I contacted my three kids in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kyoto.  All three of them will get their vaccination shot in July or August!  All of them before me.  I was really surprised.  I can't wait until we are all free from Covid 19! Here are 10 convenient phrases using "free".

1.   Free spirit:  He is really a free spirit.  There is no controlling him!

2. Free loader:  My cousin has been freeloading with us for years.  I'm getting sick of it.

3. Freeway;  Take Freeway 107 to Los Angeles.  It's the shortest route.

4. Feel free to:   Feel free to jump in any time.

5. Free speech:  Free speech was stopped short in Hong Kong last week.

6. Are you free?  I'm having a dance party Friday night, are you free?

7. Free lunch:  There's no such thing as a free lunch.

8. Free range:  We use only free range chickens at our restaurant.  I think you'll notice the difference.

9. Fat free:  Are these Lindor chocolates really fat free?  I can't believe it!

10. Home free:  After you graduate, you will be home free!

Today's BGM;

We shall be Free

Garth Brooks

This ain't comin' from no prophet, Just an ordinary man. When I close my eyes, I see the way this world shall be When we all walk hand in hand. When the last child cries for a crust of bread, When the last man dies for just words that he said, When there's shelter over the poorest head, We shall be free. When the last thing we notice is the color of the skin, And the first thing we look for is the beauty within; When the skies and the oceans are clean again, Then we shall be free. We shall be free, we shall be free. Stand straight, walk proud, 'Cause we shall be free. When we're free to love anyone we choose, When this world's big enough for all different views, When we all can worship from our own kind of pew, Then we shall be free. We shall be free, we shall be free Have a little faith, hold out, 'Cause we shall be free. And when money talks for the very last time, And nobody walks a step behind; When there's only one race, And that's mankind, then we shall be free. We shall be free ,we shall be free Stand straight, (walk proud,) Have a little faith, (hold out;) We shall be free. We shall be free, we shall be free, (Stand straight,) stand straight, (Have a little faith,) walk proud, 'Cause we shall be free.

I reset my videos.  I think you can see them now.  Thank you to my students who told me about the problem!

As I get older, it becomes more difficult to remember some things.  People's names, dates, etc.  Also, where did I put it?? Today, let's talk about places.  Here are the basics that I teach to elementary school kids: IN, ON, UNDER,BY. In the box. On the table, Under the sofa. By the TV. But, even some of these are a bit strange. The picture is on the piano. The picture is on the wall. Let's go to the next level.  How specific can you tell me where something is in your house?

1.  My corn holders are at the back of the 2nd drawer from the top, next to my oven.
2. My Bufferin is in the plastic case on the left side of the 2nd shelf from the top, in the cabinet next to my bathroom sink.
3. My wine glasses are on the right at the back of the cupboard over my kitchen sink.
4. My summer shirts are in my walk in closet hanging on the right side of the rack.
5. My white out is in the 2nd drawer of the filing box under my computer.
6. My cabbage is in the bottom drawer of my refrigerator.
7. My eggs are in the egg holder in the door of my refrigerator.
8. My dress shoes are behind the middle door of the shoes box in my entrance way.
9. My grandchild's toys are in the snoopy chest in front of the bookcase in the Japanese room.
10. My heart is in your hands.

Akita City has provided Antigen (抗原検査) test kits for all the school teachers in the city.  I didn't think I would get one, but Friday afternoon I got an email informing me that I should pick up the test at the City Hall.  I did and  I took the test yesterday. Here are the simple steps: Wash out your mouth, take three deep breaths, and spit into the paper cup Dip the swab into the saliva.     Put the swab into testing bottle, wait for 10 minutes. Put three drops from the bottle into the test kit.   Wait three minutes for test results. Cheer when your results are negative! Now, I have had both PCR and Antigen tests.  Do you know the differences?  I didn't, but I looked into it. PCR tests are more expensive and time consuming, but the results are more accurate.  However, false positives are a small problem. Antigen tests are cheaper, faster, and DIY, but false negatives are a small problem. To me the biggest problem for both tests, is they only tell me the results today!  What happens if I get Covid 19 tomorrow? Oh well, I'm still waiting on the vaccine. https://youtu.be/BjfT6H6QUIA  

Are you enjoying your vacation?  The daily increase of Covid 19 cases in Japan and Akita, have put a huge damper on Golden Week this year.  25 cases yesterday!!!(May 1st) In English, "MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY" is a distress call, just like SOS.  I guess it's fitting that we had the most cases in Akita on that day.  Somebody HELP US! I'm trying to "Enjoy Home" this week.  The same as last year! So, today, let's talk about 我慢. In English, it is usually translated as "endurance", or "patience", but these two words have very different meanings. Five phrases about endurance:

1.  My car is old, but it can still take a licking and keep on ticking.
2. The sudden change of teaching style has been a trial by fire for many teachers.
3. I'm going to pound out this marathon even if it kills me!
4. Are you ready to go the distance in this marriage?
5. My P.E. teacher's favorite motto was; "when the going gets tough, the tough get going".

1. Give him some time, you know Rome wasn't built in a day.  Don't expect him to speak perfect English this week!
2. We have to take this one step at a time, or we will end up being overwhelmed.
3. You know what they say; "a watched pot never boils", give him some space.
4. You know all things come to those who wait . . . .so . . .WAIT!!
5. I don't really expect results in the next 10 years, I'm playing the long game.  Someday the stock prices will shoot up I'm sure.

Today's BGM:

Go the Distance

From Disney's Hercules

Sung my Michael Bolton

      5月11日より，新しい子どものクラスをはじめます。 毎週火曜日 定員：７名 月謝：4,500円

• 初級クラス　4:30~5:20

So, yesterday morning (4/11), I was on my ladder re-attaching the "snow-stoppers" that came off my roof over the winter. Suddenly, my ladder slipped, and I fell from the top.  Luckily, I landed on my grass and not the cement wall!  I'm okay . . . I think.  I have a little pain in my arm where I caught myself, and a scrape on my leg.  That's all.  I will be more careful in the future! However, it gives me a chance to talk about "falling off". 1.   To fall from a  surface or position,  to drop off something. Please be careful not to fall off the roof! I finally found my phone—it must have fallen off the bed. A button fell off my shirt. 

After three years of sobriety, Covid 19 made him fall off the wagon.

[caption id="attachment_2116" align="alignnone" width="675"] Behind Herb World, Nishime[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2120" align="alignnone" width="800"] At Honjo Park[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2132" align="alignnone" width="575"] In Yokote, experiencing a Kamakura[/caption]