安曇野秋生活 (Autumn Life in Azumino)

10月9日、「大きく広げようあんしん輪の集い」が安曇野スイス村サンモリッツ中ホールで開催され、れいこさんが講演しました。お昼をご用意頂いて、講演のあとには、開運堂のお菓子やおやきのお土産まで持たせてくださいました。JAの関係で、新米や松茸も安く出ていたので、兄達へのお土産に購入し、さっそく松茸ご飯を作りました。

On Oct. 9, Reiko gave a lecture in the St. Moritz Hall in Azumino Swiss Village.

We were served a big lunch and were given the souvenirs of Kaiundo sweets and Oyaki. We also purchased this year's white rice and Matsutake mushrooms, which were much cheaper than usual. With this year's rice and Matsutake mushrooms, we made Matsutake rice for the supper, which my older brothers were very happy to taste.

10月17日、国営アルプス安曇野公園のコスモスが見頃になりました。

On Oct. 17, cosmoses in Alps Azumino Government Park were in full bloom.

気持ちの良いお天気だったので、三郷のりんご農園までドライブしました。たくさんのりんごが色づいてきていました。

Blessed by such a nice weather, we drove to apple fieds in Misato area to see apples growing on trees.

10月18日、久し振りの女子会。この日は焼酎の飲み比べということだったので、料理の方も和風の味噌田楽に焼き餃子となりました。

On Oct. 18, we had a lunch drinking party with our friends in Matsumoto. This time we tasted three bottles of Rice Liquer and made Miso Dengaku and Baked Chinese Dumplings to go with the liquer.

10月23日、今年最初の干し柿作り。たまたま西条柿を採っていらっしゃるところに出くわし、西条柿なら欲しいとおねだりして、50個ほど頂きました。

On Oct. 23, we came across with one of our neighbors picking his persimmons up. He said that they were Saijo persimmons, which were originally from Hiroshima. We love Saijo persimmons and asked him to give us some. We received 56 persimmons--a good size -- and I and Po the 5th worked together to dry them.

10月27日、いつもたくさんの柿を下さる人が、今年は柿の出来が悪かったから、ご近所でもらった柿をと、先に分けて貰ったご近所さんからの西条柿を200個ちかく届けてくださいました。信州では珍しい柿なので、別のご近所さんに少しお分けして、150個干しました。量が多いので、兄達も総出で応援に入りました。

一日がかりの作業になり、途中のランチは簡単で精のつくうなぎ飯と野菜たっぷりの豚汁。

On Oct. 27, another of our neighbors, who has given us a lot of perssimons to dry every autumn, brought about 200 Saijou persimmons. He got them for us from the neighbor, from whom we received our first 56 perssimons, because those he had intended to bring for us were not very good. How kind he was! Saijo persimmons are very sweet and we give some to another neighbors who always dry persimmons in the autumn, and we dry 150 persimmons for ourselves. As it required a good work, all older brothers joined us to support our work. It took many hours. In order to save time and to give us enough energy, we had an eel rice with a soup of a lot of vegetables and pork meat.

最初に干したものとあわせて、208個の柿を吊しました。

Altogether we dried 208 persimmons!

10月29日、柿の御礼も兼ねて（このあと、柿がまだ来る予定もあるので）、ハロウィーンに向けて、かぼちゃケーキを焼きました。

On Oct. 29, we baked pumpkin bread for Halloween. They will be mostly presented to those who gave us and will give us persimmons. We are expexting some more persimmons to come.

10月30日、友人と聖高原までドライブしました。

紅葉は今ひとつでしたが、素晴らしい快晴で360度の山の展望が素晴らしかった。特に、前日初冠雪した北アルプスの白馬連山が美しい姿を見せてくれました。

On Oct. 30, we drove to Hijiri Hights with our friend.

The autumn colors were not so brilliant as usual but 360 degree view of the mountains were gorgeous. Especially the Northern Alps in Hakuba had been snowed the day before and were shining with white snow under the blue sky.

帰りに聖高原の途中にある、「手打ち蕎麦　木（もく）」というお店でお蕎麦と季節の野菜天ぷらを頂きました。今年の4月に店主が交替していたのですが、前にもまして美味しいお店になっていて、大満足でした。

On the way back, we stopped by a buckwheat noodle restaurant, Moku. The owners were changed this April, we learned. Still the buckwheat noodles were as tasty as before and were even served in a better style. Vegetable Tempuras were very delicious, too. We were happily satisfied.