Japanese

February 19, 2002: The last study class of Oita GOF
	February study class Hymn #313 Reading: Busy time, lazy time: from "Letters to friends" Contents: from household budget report 　　　　from February house keeping calendar, "Instant cleaning" 　　　　from apron making class Afternoon: Making Sakura Mochi (Cherry flower rice cake) Four members in life group talked about their impression of the reading.
"Family budget report from 2001." Keeping a household account book based on the family budget is the key of good family life. The number on the note should be the same as the actual money in the purse, because this is very important to keep a reliable household accounts. The starting point in January is important. Let's start the first step of the family budget this year with a distinct target of stepping up.
	March household calendar shows the theme "Let's have a midterm cleaning of winter clothes." Ms. Yamada disclosed her plan of "Easy cleaning." Cleaning tools are; from left, padding rod, towels, Japanese towels, absorbent gauze, bristle brush, and cleanser.
Today's easy cleaning sample cloth is a blazer of Mr. Yamada. Inside-out is the first step, then brush out the dust in the pocket using a toothbrush.
	The padding rod will tap out the dust of the suite aired in the shade for a while.
The neck is opened flat endways and give a spray of the cleanser, then pad lightly to offset the dirt onto the gauze.
	As the cuff is tend to be stained, it is first folded and uniformed, then the cleanser is sprayed and wiped with gauze.
The inside of the cuff may become dirty, and cleaned up with the cleanser.
	The lid of the pocket and neck are cleaned with cleanser as well. In the end, whole part of the cloth is quickly cleaned up with a tightly squeezed towel from hot water. The cloth is then let dry in the shade again. BR> Careful and frequent cleaning will decrease the number of asking to the commercial cleaning. The texture of the cloth is also maintained in a good condition for a long time.
We were surprised to hear from Yamada that the suit has been used habitually more than 30 years. Yamada is very careful in keeping clothes. A detailed description on the easy cleaning can be found in a washing book issued from Females' Friend Publisher. The book will be helpful to us.
	Next, the aprons made by seven members who attended to the "Apron making class" on February 7 were introduced to the member.
The members lined up wearing their own aprons.
Five members who first made aprons described their impressions: "It was very good to have a chance to see an apron very neatly made.", "I have experienced many thing by doing myself.", "I could feel the pleasure of making something.", "I could first use the sawing machine taken out from the depth of closet.", "It was very good to find that right basting and ironing will bring a complete result."
The lecturer this time, Ms. Nishinaka, introduced a word from "Senior's Friend" book saying, "The culture of life will be handed down by using hands repeatedly."
	Matoba, the leader of life group, appealed by citing a phrase of Musashi Miyamoto - a good swordsman in early Edo era -, "Let's make another apron who joined the class." We promised to sew another apron next time by selecting cloth carefully.
In the afternoon, we had a class of "Making Sakura-Mochi." Doumyouji powder of 200 grams, 50 grams of sugar, and 300 grams of boiling water dyed pink in advance are the ingredients.
	The ingredients are quickly mixed in a bowl and left for ten minutes under a table linen.
Then it is steamed for 15 minutes in the steamer using a wet napkin underneath.
	During steaming, 400-gram sweet jam is balled into 20 pieces. Itonaga lectures the process.
The steamed ingredient is then smashed softly in the bowl.
It is then divided into 20 pieces and wrapped the sweet jam. Finally, a leaf of cherry wraps it. The salted cherry leaf is desalted in the water in advance.
	All of us enjoyed making Sakura-Mochi rice cake. The pale pink color may call spring here. We have had many study classes this year. We will make better study classed with the word "Let's turn a home into a laboratory."
Today's attendant: 22	Reported by Nagano