I already miss our tofu shop

Here's our neighborhood tofu shop. They make t0fu fresh every day, the way it's supposed to be. In the morning they set the scum outside to cool in that blue box.

My boys like to have the fried tofu in their lunchboxes. The place smells amazing. Kind of like wood and soybean mist...very healthy.

Even though this place seems old-fashioned because they do everything by hand in small batches, they also have a digital photo frame and one of those cell-phone bar codes hooked up.

They also have this cat. We call her Tofu-Kitty.

I don't think she eats tofu. I saw the guy feeding her a breadstick today.

She also doesn't look old enough to be a mommy, but she had babies last fall. At least, I think that's what the lady in the tofu store was telling me.

I already miss this....

When I gave the tour of Surprising Breezes East, many of you 'mericans made jokes about how our bathtub looks like an overgrown kitchen sink.

Unless you've experienced it, you can't possibly know what this tub-sink affords.

• When you fill it up and sit in it, the water comes up to your chin. It feels fantastic. And complete submersion gives one's body the buoyancy of youth.
• Speaking of buoyancy, one time when I opened the shower door to check on his progress, I witnessed Max in the midst of a headstand, including a full split, in this tub. You can thank me now for not posting a picture of that.
• This time of year, every store sells packs of lovely smelling bath salts and fizzies in multiple flavors. First one in, gets to pick!
• If you climb in carefully, you can calculate your body's volume, Archimedes-style, through displacement.
• If you stay in long enough, you run the risk of passing out when you stand up. It can be thrilling.

Because we do things Japanese style, we always shower and rinse before getting into the tub. Don't be alarmed, but this means we can use the tub for all five of us. In principle, at least. After a few experiences with mystery particles, Darrin and I have decided to draw our own bath.

I already miss this tub.