Under the December Sky

Around winter, when the nights are at their longest,
people naturally seek out things that are warm.

For me,
coffee and my family
are surely among those things.

I find myself
desperately longing for that warm embrace.

On my way home from work,
I pedal my bike desperately
through the howling, cold wind.
My fingertips are tingling. My cheeks ache.
Let's get home quickly.
And let's get warm.

I'm home. I'll make some coffee.
This time I spend with my wife after getting home is
a precious moment for me.
About this morning, about the kids, about my wife's health.
Since I leave for work while my family is still asleep,
I don't know what happened in the morning.
It has become my daily routine to ask, "How was this morning?"
The kids are a handful.
The morning scene is like a battlefield.
My wife, defeated and crushed by the battle.
While sipping my coffee,
I listen to my wife's words.
Recently, my wife's hernia has worsened, and she has trouble moving her legs and hips.
I'm so worried about her.
Physical ailments are truly the worst.
I also had a rough time last week when I came down with a cold.
When your body feels bad, your heart feels worn down too.
I truly believe from the bottom of my heart that if we can just stay healthy, everything else will work out.




December is coming to an end.
Which means there's not much left of this year.
It feels like I've been
left behind.

Looking back,
I feel that this year was a year saved by words.
This first year since I started note.
Truly, the words of so many noters
have moved my heart.

The first person I followed this year after starting note, other than coffee shops, was Natsuki-san.
The beauty of their words was piercing when I first encountered them, and it remains unchanged even now. It is fleeting and delicate, yet possesses a core of strength. Every time I encounter it, it moves my heart.

I met Chikuwa-san shortly after I started note.
Their writing is as refreshing
as breathing in the crisp air of early morning. I remember thinking, "How nice, I love this." I remember feeling that note is a wonderful place. Meeting the real-life Chikuwa-san and talking with them—that time at the Literature Flea Market became one of my precious treasures!

Mizuumi-san is someone who makes handmade sweets.
Simple, carefully crafted, cute sweets.
My stomach growls every time I see them, haha.
They have written articles about how my laceflower_coffee accompanies their daily life. That is such a happy thing.

The lovely streets of Nagasaki and
a warm coffee time ☕
In such a comfortable article,
they introduced my coffee♪
It makes me happy to know that it really reached them. Thank you for sharing it.
Ai-san mentioned that she has finished selling her pressed flower works after 20 years.
Thank you for your hard work over such a long time.
I wish I had known about you sooner.

k2take-san is a person of the forest.
They go deep into the forest and converse with the trees.
With the sunlight, the wind, and the air.
They deliver the expressions of each moment along with illustrations. It is such a wonderful place.
Whether on note or in the real world, sometimes my heart feels cloudy or I feel a sense of lingering resentment.
When that happens, I come to this place.
My emotional anchor. A third place within note. A very important place.

If I had to name my biggest news of the year,
it would definitely be starting a coffee shop.
Seeing noters who are straightforward about what they want to do, I thought they were cool and wonderful. I felt like I was being pushed forward too.
So I just went for it.
Now that I've started, all I can do is keep going while repeating trial and error!
Having people purchase from me is truly a great support.
Thank you ♫
There is also a new coupon,
so please take a look at the article above.

☃

And, looking toward next year,
a new challenge has begun!

This is a collaboration between the back-alley culture of note town, #WhatAreYouTalkingAbout x laceflower_coffee ✨
The catalyst was a word from Mosquito Eri-san.
Eri-san wrote a review of my coffee.
I was truly happy about that ♪
And the story continues.

A miraculous encounter in Jimbocho, the town of books and coffee.
The time we spent together that day was firmly recorded in the pages of my history.
A new story begins from here.
I have a feeling that it will.

In the back alley where laughter and aromas mingle,
a single light is lit again today.

Encounters are always unexpectedly beautiful.

The story of the Rojiulars Blend
is finally beginning.

🍀🍀🍀🍀

Thank you for so many words
this past year!
For the year-end and New Year holidays,
I'll be preparing toshikoshi soba and osechi dishes.
My work still continues.
But it's okay. Since I'm regaining my health,
my body is starting to move again.
I feel like I can do anything.
Even if it's just an illusion lol, I want to keep running through it like this.

During this time of year when the winter cold becomes increasingly severe,
please take care of yourselves so that you can all stay healthy ♪