Tanuki Den (aka Homepost): Date 20220525 
Tanuki Scroll LV: ネコの大芝居 
This morning I had an idea of what I wanted to read about today, but now that it’s come to reading time I’ve completely forgotten what it was 
Sooo, I read today’s folktale instead. Which is about an old couple who have worked hard all their lives and wished they had had children, but no longer can, so they pray to 神さま that a cat will do. And their wishes are answered and a cute cat arrives from nowhere!
The years pass by and the cat gets old, and to thank the old couple for their kindness it tells them that it’ll perform whatever play they want (they don’t seem that surprised that the cat can talk 
).
Japanese found in the tall grass
Learnthings
大芝居「おおしばい」ー large-scale play (like one with an A-list cats cast); big act or charade
畑仕事「はたしごと」ー working in the fields / on the farm
芝居「しばい」ー Play or drama
忠臣蔵「ちゅうしんぐら」ー Chushingura (a well-known Japanese play)
Forgotten Things
ぶち「斑」ー Spots, specks, mottles
(for additional learning type「ぶちネコ」into Google images and lose yourself to all the cute cats)
Replies
Happy birthday for yesterday! 
And yeah, birthdays are weird as an adult, 21 is like the last “yay” birthday, after then every year after is just… “oh, that’s another one.”
Sounds like you’ve got a good night planned though, have fun!
Looking at the pictures you share I think the folk stories I read are at a similar level, only thing is that there’s rarely furigana, but you should have no trouble with all the tanuki!