The autumnal equinox was one week ago, but one thing was missing. Red spider lilies, known in Japanese as “higanbana,” were not in bloom yet. I looked around and didn’t see any until Saturday. They grow along the side of the environmental center where I work. I was walking around the center on Saturday morning, and I found half of the flowers in full bloom. The other half had buds on them, but they weren’t open yet. There are reports of the flowers blooming late all over Japan. They say that the days and nights have been too hot. Now, the nights are much cooler, so the red spider lilies will probably bloom all at once. (116 words)

じゃれマガのようなSimple English で素敵なエッセイを英文で綴ってみませんか。日常の暮らしの中で、見たり聞いたりした素朴な体験など、じんわりとした温かい気持ちや、切ない思い出を綴った英文エッセイコンテストを開催します。　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Douglas S. Jarrell ●応募要項 ・対象…中学生，高校生（中学生部門と高校生部門に分けます）    ★１つの学校から最高で１０作品とさせていただきます。　　ご担当先生にご面倒をおかけしますが，Top10作品でお願いいたします。 ・英文…語数は95words以上120 words未満　　　中学の文法範囲（Simple English）で・お題…自由・応募方法…下記のグーグルフォームから作品を送信してください。 このURL<https://forms.gle/1a4zVjaDWAXZ5kP69>をコピーして入力するか、HPの下にあるフォームに直接入力する。・締め切り…2025年1月10日 発表…来年の２月の土日祝のじゃれマガで配信の予定。 ・審査方法…ジャレル先生，北原延晃先生，中西哲彦先生による審査。 　　　各人が５点満点（先生を笑わせたり，泣かせたり感動させたエッセイには＋1点） ●お願い 　じゃれマガの金曜日の読者投稿欄でも誤りのある英文はあります。でも内容が心打つから採用しているのです。じゃれマガとして配信するときには私（ジャレル）が誤りを訂正しています。しかし本当に大事なことは「読者の伝えたい，という気持ち」です。人に誤りを直してもらっているうちにその人のキラリと光る筆致が鈍くなることもあります。ぜひ誤りを恐れずに投稿してください。 問い合わせは jaremaga@gmail.comまでお願いします。

In Japan, they say that the heat only lasts until the autumnal equinox (around September 23) and the cold only lasts until the spring equinox (around March 20). The days have been a little cooler since the autumnal equinox this year, and the nights have been much more pleasant. In fact, I slept with the windows open on Monday night, and I woke up in the middle of the night feeling cold! It was a wonderful feeling, but I have to be careful. This is the time of year when it’s easy to catch a cold. Tomorrow, however, the temperatures are going up again in many parts of Japan. When is the summer really going to end? (117 words)

When I was living in the U.S. with my wife, we spent a lot of time with my parents. My wife used to call my father a walking dictionary. Whenever she had a question, he seemed to know the answer. I think the best definition of a “walking dictionary” in Japanese is either “ikijibiki” or “monoshiri.” I wonder how much longer people like my father will be around. These days, if you don’t know something, you can just take out your smartphone and look it up on the Internet. You don’t need to remember everything. However, I prefer walking dictionaries to smartphones, and I hope that there will always be walking dictionaries around! (113 words)

What does 50-50 usually mean? We often talk about a 50-50 chance that something will happen. That means that it might happen, but it might not. Now Ohtani Shohei has given 50-50 a new meaning. When people say 50-50 about Ohtani, they mean 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. Ohtani is the first baseball player ever to get 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in one season. In the last week, he has been hitting and stealing in every game. As of yesterday, Ohtani’s record was 53 home runs and 55 stolen bases. I think he has a 50-50 chance of reaching 60-60.   (105 words)