It was a Sunday morning while staying at my parents’ house. Despite being a bit sleep-deprived, I woke up as usual and went to observe the lemon tree in the garden that I had gifted to my dad for Father’s Day about four or five years ago.
The initial plan was to harvest its fruit the year before last, but I still haven’t gotten a single one.
In February, I secretly moved some fertilizer that my dad had given to another tree to the base of the lemon tree, hoping that this year would be different. Perhaps it’s because of my efforts, but the number of buds this year is incomparably higher than in previous years, and I happily look around at the other trees as well.
Even though we hardly eat them, we have five different kinds of citrus trees in our garden. When I checked the condition of the largest one, a natsumikan (pomelo-like citrus), the number and vigor of its buds and new leaves were far greater than that of the lemon tree. I calmed myself down, trying not to get my hopes up too much.
Rapeseed and Cornfields
After my observations, I headed towards the main house and found my dad and mom getting into their mini-truck, ready for some work in the fields. I figured they’d be heading to the valley to ship vegetables, but when I checked, my dad said he was going to remove the plastic tunnels from the corn and hill up the soil. Once I heard that, I knew I was in for helping out, as always. I let them go ahead, got myself ready, and walked leisurely to the fields.
Next to my parents’ cornfield was fallow land owned by another farmer, where nothing is currently growing. This land, which used to be a mulberry field decades ago, now blooms with rapeseed flowers every year around this time.
Finding the rapeseed flowers in full bloom made me feel like a child again.
Cutting across the rapeseed field, even though it wasn’t the shortest way, I entered my parents’ cornfield. The corn grown inside the tunnels already had tassels on some of them, so it would probably be about a month until the harvest begins.
My dad was preparing to hill up the soil while removing the plastic and supports of the tunnels.
My mom, who had arrived earlier, was already weeding where the tunnel removal was finished, so I followed suit and started working alongside her.
Although the sky was cloudy, the warm spring weather made me sweat as I silently and diligently pulled weeds.
Around noon, when the end was in sight, I stood up to head back to the main house to prepare lunch. My thighs and calves were trembling, and my back was stiff and aching.
I cursed my lack of physical fitness.
Sunday Afternoon
After finishing the morning farm work and eating the lunch I made, my dad said, “The weather looks good for a while, so let’s take it easy this afternoon.” Apparently, there was some kind of event happening at a nearby park, and he remembered my mom mentioning it while they were working in the fields, so he decided to take her.
Meanwhile, it was my hobby time. I enjoy making my own fishing tackle and related small items. Today, I was working on making a tool for hand-netting a fishing landing net.
I cut some bamboo, split it into the necessary sizes, and then shaved and smoothed the nodes. Following the weeding, I started working silently again. While working, I thought about the dishes I would prepare in advance for my parents’ dinner. It struck me how different this was from my weekday life in the office, and I couldn’t help but smile.
Two hours later, I interrupted the seemingly endless task to start preparing dinner. Just then, my dad and mom returned from the park. Immediately after, a neighbor came by with some snacks, and the three of them were soon engrossed in lighthearted conversation.
As I was about to leave for home after finishing the side dishes, the neighbor said to me, “Are you leaving already? I thought the kids were here too, so I bought some for all of you! Take these with you!” and handed them to me.
It wasn’t a matter of good or bad, but I gratefully accepted, thinking about how different this was from my weekday life. Living apart, I often wish that these peaceful moments would continue every day, even when I’m not around. Seeing this scene once again on this typical Sunday made me feel that way even more strongly.
Additional information:
- Natsumikan（夏みかん）：A type of Japanese citrus fruit. It has a slightly sour and refreshing taste and is often eaten fresh or used to make marmalade.
- Mini-truck (軽トラック – kei torakku): A small, lightweight truck that is very popular in Japan, especially in rural areas, for farming and other work. They are known for their practicality and maneuverability.
- Hilling up the soil (土寄せ – tsuchiyose): A farming technique where soil is piled up around the base of a plant. This can help to support the plant, protect the roots, and improve drainage.
