In February, I was busy not only with my art work, but also with moving my studio, filing my tax return, and taking care of my flower pots, so it felt like the end of the month came around in the blink of an eye.
I feel like gardening is the best way to calm my mind, especially when I'm overwhelmed with tasks. Basically, I take care of succulents and cacti in the spring and fall. I remove the young plants, remove old roots, and replant them in a pot that's a size larger.
It's been three years since I came up with the idea for my homemade mortar pot, KANDYPOT. This year I'm going to commercialize it and sell it. I think I said the same thing last year too. Lol
Of course, I would be happy if KANDYPOT would appeal to people who already have gardening as a hobby, but I would also be happy if it would spark an interest in plants for people.
Plants are creatures that are easy to welcome into one's space, as they allow one to feel nature close to oneself. When living things come into view at unexpected moments in daily life, it makes one feel at peace. I think humans have an instinctive tendency to seek out nature.
There is a mountain called "Uomi-dake" in my neighborhood, and I have driven to the top of it before, but when I looked it up online on a whim, I found out that there is a hiking trail, and since it takes about an hour each way and is suitable for beginners, I decided to try hiking for the first time since elementary school. By myself, of course.
While mountain climbing is usually about reaching the summit, I wanted to see the nature inside the mountains, so I climbed a little, stopped to take photos of anything that caught my eye, and looked through my binoculars, and proceeded slowly.
It takes about an hour to get to the top, but the view from the top was amazing. Chirin Island can be seen in the distance.
Since that day, I've noticed things like, "There are clouds over Mt. Uomi today," or "The air is clear, so you can see Mt. Uomi very well," and even though I've only climbed it once, it has become a mountain that I find very familiar.
I'd like to go again, but I haven't been able to yet. The goat in the photo is a goat that lives in a private house very close to the trailhead.
By the way, the name Uomi-dake is said to come from the fact that fishermen in the past would check the movements of nearby fish before heading out to sea. Fishermen in the past had a lot of stamina. Respect to them.