I came home the other day and noticed my neighbor had cut my grass, trimmed my trees and watered my plants. This is normal. I apologized profusely, thanked Ueda-san repetitively and she said, as always, "Oh, it was nothing."
My yard has always been a dense, untamed wilderness. Who knows what lurks inside that jungle -- things that sting, bite and have venom. Possibly even tigers. I've never seen exactly how Ueda-san does it, but I imagine she enters the jungle in one of those head-to-toe protective bee outfits, with a bazooka in one hand and pruning shears in the other.
There is a Japanese word called "shakkei" that means using the surrounding scenery, such as your neighbor's yard, as background to enhance the view of your own garden. No wonder Ueda-san cuts my grass, trims my trees and waters my plants. It finally dawned on me that the tigers probably don't match her Wisteria. And that's how I was embarrassed into gardening.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.