In Japan, December is called 師走 (shiwasu), and the kanji characters suggest that even teachers are so busy that they have to run around taking care of errands. We clean at the end of the year, so it's called year-end-cleaning. It's our long-standing tradition and started during the Heian period. (794 to 1185)

For me, it's a great time to focus on painting because my grandson doesn't come and stay at his house with his parents. I'd love to keep painting, but I also have to take care of the cleaning. Since last month, I've already cleaned my parents' house, so they don't need to do it themselves. Last year, I helped my daughter clean her house too, but this year I didn't. Instead, I'm focusing on my own house.

I've almost finished the first floor, but I still have to work on the second floor, especially my really messy painting room. I like cleaning, but for some reason, I'm not good at organizing, so my painting materials are scattered everywhere. I definitely need to tidy them up.

My garden is also quite messy now, and it needs some attention. I need to replant some rose bushes that are currently in pots.

We'll invite my parents, our daughter and her family to celebrate the New Year, so I need to push myself to get everything done!

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