We have a custom to worship cats.
"MANEKINEKO", (happy cats or welcoming cats?) is representative one.
It is a ceramic ornament which shapes cat, that raises one hand to invite people, money and happy.

This is the MANEKINEKO I found at the porch of a Japanese sweets shop.

And these were at the porch of a Chineese noodle shop.

Today I read a news about the only shrine in Japan which enshrine Cat as God.
The shrine is at Tokushima prefecture and named "OMATSU DAIGONGEN", which derives from the story of "BAKENEKO" or a monster cat.
"OMATSU" was a name of woman whose husband was a village mayor.
He borrowed money from a marchant and died soon after payed back money.
But the marchant didn't recognize that he payed back, and OMATSU claimed to the Lord but he  didn't listen to her either, finally OMATSU was put to death.

After that, a monster cat appeared on the house of the marchant and the Lord, and many terrible things happened.So people built a shrine to appease the soul of OMATSU.

Now a lot of test-takers for entrance exam visit this shrine, because this God is supposed to back up to pass the exam.

The last news is about a cat of Jesus Christ
What do you think with this? ;-)

My job started from Jan. 4th, as every year.
Our New Year's Holidays begin from Dec.28th to Jan.3rd, but this year 4th is Monday, so we have to work on full weekdays from Monday after a week of holidays.

It's on Wednesday yet...it seems to be veeeery long this week...

By the way, I found a funny news today.
"Tama", maybe the most famous cat in Japan who works as a stationmaster at the local railway station, became an executive at the railway company!

The original news is here.

Actually "Tama" is a popular name of cat here in Japan.
In the animation "Sazaesan", heroine's family has a white cat named "Tama".

Our cat is "Tamasaburo", named after the famous KABUKI actor, but we also wanted to include "tama" in his name.
But we call him "Sabu", not "Tama".
He won't work at all unlike another "Tama", he sleeps in front of the stove all day long!

Now it's the New Year's Day.
We had a cold morning and a little snow.
Our cat, Tamasaburo was waiting in front of the stove for it would be fired, when I got up.
We took OZOUNI and OSECHI, the new year's dishes like every year, and go to Shrine to pray for health and peace in this year, too.

The last year, I was a little busier than usual with my volunteer work.
It was anyhow achieved what I declared to do last year, to promote TNR in our region and to cooperate the animal control center with improving local cat situations.
And, it's amazing for me, as a person who would be soon bored, could have continued to write this blog for a year.
I think it's owing to the Enter Card, because I wrote my blog if someone might read it.
My "New Year's resolution" is same as the last year, and I have to work much harder this year.
Anyway, I'm going to take a rest in the New Year Holidays, so that I would work with new energy again!

We have uncomfortable warm winter in the end of this year.
Of course it's easier for us to clean the house and prepare for the New Year Day when it is warm, but it is also very odd.
Today, we made "Mochi", maybe rice cake in English.
Mochi is necessary for the New Year Day, and we usually make it on 30th December.

First, we steam the particular rice for Mochi, then put it in the pounding machine.
And, we shape it like ball after pounded.

When my husband's parents were alive, we used to pound Mochi with a mortar and a pestle.
Now we use the particular machine instead of those equipments.
After making Mochi, I started to cook Osechi, the New Year dishes, it took half day to finish all.
I have not finished cleaning the house, but I got a little tired..!

Time passes very fast, even it seems to me years pass faster and faster recently.Maybe it's because I'm getting older.
It's been just one year since I started this blog.
I started my blog for my English study, but has my English improved more than before? I don't know...

Today, it was the last day of our job in this year.
We did a big cleaning of our office as every year.

And it was surprising but the social affair of our office treated us the gorgeous lunch!

This year, our job started with food poisoning and ended up with Infulenza.I was called on the 2nd of New Year Day, though it's our holiday, to investigate food poisoning incident.
I hope we would stay at home in the New Year Days without any emergency call!