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Recent Posts: M Thomas Apple Author Page
Dear Diary — June 12, 2001
The Blood of Dunbar: The Forgotten Holocaust of the Scottish Covenanters
This is the first of a series of posts introducing the five-part historical fiction novel Unbowed, which will be published in November 2026. All five parts are based on true events and real people – my ancestors. Most students of American history are familiar with the standard narrative of New England’s early settlers: the Mayflower, the […]
“Blood Moon” lunar eclipse across the Americas
Lunar eclipses occur when Earth moves between the sun and the moon and its shadow is cast on to the lunar surface. In Thursday night’s event 96% of the moon will be darkened by the Earth’s shadow at its peak moment. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/aug/27/lunar-eclipse-north-south-america WordPress has gotten really wonky with the “quotation” formatting, so I hope this […]
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Category Archives: festivals
End of an Era: Goodbye, Nursery School
And so it begins. The end of the start of the rest of my children’s childhood. By which I mean our youngest daughter graduated from nursery school / kindergarten. Thinking back, we’ve been coming to our local nursery school every … Continue reading
Posted in coming of age, day care, education, festivals, Japan, Japanese, Japanese society, nursery school, parenting, school, separation anxiety
Tagged child care, child education, child-raising, children, customs, Japan, Japanese, Japanese kids, kindergarten, nursery school, parenting, reflections
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Who was that Masked Flu Avenger?
Looking back now, I can laugh. The first week of February was rough. My wife had to work both weekend days, at the end of an already exhausting end-of-semester work week. I had also had little sleep. The previous month, my … Continue reading
Posted in festivals, health care, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, Japanese society, parenting, school, sickness
Tagged children, customs, family, health, Japan, medicine, parents
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O-shougatsu
New Year’s lasts one night of drinks and one day of college football in the US, but in Japan the holidays lasts for three days. Actually, for many the New Year’s holidays start on December 29th, giving the typical worker a … Continue reading
Posted in eating, entertainment, family outings, festivals, food, hobbies, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, parenting
Tagged child-raising, hatsumode, Japan, Japanese, Japanese holidays, kohaku, shogatsu
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