Furoshiki

Last Sunday we heard a knock at the door of the house in Japan. Some neighbor kids invited the grand girls to play in the street between the houses. The orange house next door has a girl about age 8 and the house across the street has a girl who looks to be 13 or so. From down the road came another girl who appeared to be about 10. Offspring #1 went out to mingle with the neighbors. Mothers of the three girls stood and talked. The girls were trying to teach the older grand girl how to use a wiggle board. I would think  learning how to use a wiggle board would be easier on a flat street than a street with a hill. All the girls were getting a good work out running up and down the hill. After a while everyone in the house went out to socialize so I did too. The neighbor approached me with a package in a paper bag. She gave me a gift. I was so surprised. I said "Arigato gozaimasu" as best I could and bowed several times. Inside was a furoshiki cloth. Offspring #2 and my daughter in law had purchased several of these cloths at gift shops in the past two weeks. They folded the cloths to use as a purse or to carry water bottles. My cloth has cherry blossoms on it. Some people use the cloths to wrap gifts or to carry melons. I am not sure how I will use my furoshiki but it was surely a nice surprise to get one.