Typhoon and wall-less school

It's coming to the end of another unusual week in our house and I'm feeling restless. I've had a couple of great topics for blog posts percolating in my mind, but no time to write about them. But I think what's making me restless are two other things.

Just for fun I added in some other photos from yesterday.
I went to a missionary-women's prayer and fellowship
day and we went for a stroll in the nearby bush. Ironically,
not so far from where our 11th grader was hiking.

1. We're waiting on a large tropical storm (called typhoon in this quarter of the world) to run over the top of us this weekend.
2. School has been unusual this week: it's an annual event called School Without Walls (nickname—SWOW) and has meant only two of us have been home these last couple of nights.

Typhoon
This has meant things cancelled: so we get another sleep in tomorrow, instead of cross country! But also, thinking about stocking up on supplies. Plenty of my Japan-based friends are posting about empty supermarket shelves. I'm thankful I was able to get to the supermarket early this morning and had no trouble getting what I wanted.

I did some preparation: I put my couple of outdoor pot plants in more secure spots, put our washing poles (what we have instead of lines and only rest in slots, so therefore potential projectiles) down on the balcony, and filled the bath with water in case we lose electricity. We will also pull our gutter ramp into the carport. It also just sits freely in the gutter to aid driving in and out, so in the event of us getting the 600mm of heavy rain that is forecast over the weekend, it will probably float away and cause a traffic hazard.

Aside from that there isn't much to do except wait. And pray that the winds weaken before it gets here, so that little damage is caused.

A bit over a third of the ladies at the meeting.

Beauty!

SWOW
All high school classes were cancelled for the week and they focused on other things. Our ninth-grader has been doing various group activities designed to get the kids to think about leadership and group dynamics. My husband went with the 10th graders (aka sophomores!) to a science museum on Tuesday and then on Wednesday for a two-night "camp" at Lake Yamanaka (where I went to my retreat in May). 

Our 11th grader (aka junior) went hiking in the wilderness west of Tokyo on Tuesday. It's a big event where they carry all their equipment and food with them and trek. The yr 12s or seniors, flew to Nagasaki (not totally sure what they were doing, but I think it's more to do with Japanese culture and history than leadership).

Again for fun: this is the comfortable outfit I wore. I was
blown away by how many compliments I received!

Well, anyway. It's been a strange week. Tension as our 11th grader prepared to go on Monday and then wondering how he's going. Then since David left, I think I've seen more of our youngest son's friends in one week than I ever have. They've dropped in several times in the last couple of days! I'm sure it's got nothing to do with the chocolate chips biscuits I made on Sunday! It's certainly been an unusual, but enjoyable experience for me to see my son enjoying hanging with his friends here. Especially to see them so comfortable in our house.

I started this post not long before I got a text from our middle son asking me to pick him up from school in the car (a rare request as we live so close). It was drizzly and he had all his gear in a large plastic bag, which was awkward to carry. I ended up arriving there minutes before my husband drove the school bus in with a bunch of 10th graders and I took his small suitcase home too (he walked home a bit later).

So everyone is home now. There's been lots of chatter about the week. The sorts of things mothers of (most) sons don't often hear. I used to hop in my mum's car every day and chat her ear off about what had happened that day. That really doesn't happen much here. First I don't pick up the boys, but they really don't tell me a lot about their days, and I doubt that would happen even if I picked them up in a car. I'm glad that my schedule was flexible enough that I could be around this afternoon, even if it has meant that my work has suffered. The good thing is that with cross country cancelled, and the likelihood of a long and wet weekend with nowhere to go, there'll be time to catch up on a bit of work later (if the electricity remains on).

The upshot of it: it seems like it was a good week for all. I'm relieved, especially when I consider how one of my boys was not coping so well with life this time last year and yet he's had a great week and done well. That is great cause for thanksgiving.