The month of January brought about a big change for me. I am a preacher of taking care of self… unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that I am a practitioner of this. In fact, I had to take a leave of absence from my job in order to exercise care of self. I had put my health and personal matters on the back burner – not advisable, by the way, so January was all about me… well, me and Mik.

Our daughter is one of the strongest, most interesting people you will ever meet. She works with a partner on Foghino Farm, Trinidad, Colorado. Mik dedicates her time, blood, sweat and tears (in no particular order, and sometimes all simultaneously) to the market garden. She also assists Isai with the animals – milking, sometimes butchering and most of the time loving them.

She had a bit of a break from the farm in January, so took one last trip to visit us on Okinawa, our temporary home, thanks to the Air Force! We took in the cherry blossoms at Nakajin-jo Castle, walked along the typhoon -ravaged seawall, ate numerous amounts of sushi, ramen, teishoku-style bento meals at Yayoi, and even a couple of Family Mart Ice Cream cones! We made delicious, homemade breads, pizza, pasta, tiramisu and sourdough starter. But one thing that we both loved, was spending time in the pottery studio. We made drinking vessels and bowls. The bowl pictured below, is one that I threw and Mik graciously carved. She used a technique called sgraffito, where clay slip is applied in several layers, then cut or carved away to show the decoration or design. She became my teacher, reminding me to trust myself, feel the clay and enjoy the process. I will be forever grateful for this special time we shared.