Relaxing Wednesday

Finally, I could relax. We were done trimming the carabao grass yesterday afternoon. Gardening is hard of course but it is a fulfilling job. So lovely to see a clean garden from weeds and unwanted growth of grass. Now I can concentrate on replanting and sowing some seeds I bought earlier.

It seems I’ll be able to finish my Goodreads’ reading challenge for this year afterall. I was not able to read when we had Covid last May. It was almost two months before I started again. I’ve said before that I committed myself to read a hundred books this year. I am on my 86th book now. I found this lovely book online entitled No Promises In The Wind by Irene Hunt.

Here’s a brief summary of the book culled from Goodreads:

It’s a tale of a brave young man’s struggle to find his own strength during the Clutch Plague. In 1932, American’s dreams were simple: a job, food to eat, a place to sleep, and shoes without holes. But for millions of people these simple needs were nothing more than dreams. When he was just fifteen years old, Josh had to make his own way through a country of angry and frightened people. This is the story of his struggle to find a life for himself during those turbulent times.

It is actually a short novel which you could probably finish in one day. I slept late last night just to finish half of it. I am beginning to discover some unknown authors whose works are equally absorbing.

Today is the Feast Day of St. John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of Catholic priests. St. John Mary Vianney, pray for us as we continue to beg God for more priests who shine with holy and human virtues. HAPPY FEAST DAY👏🙏⛪

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Here We Go

Gosh, the past few days, all my afternoons were spent reading. Recently, I read paranormal and historical books, a bit of romance and now I am presently reading an epistolary novel about Alaska. I don’t know why every time I find a book about Alaska, I am always tempted to read it. I can’t remember now but a few years ago, I watched a film featuring the place and I was overjoyed to see those places I only read in books.

Can you believe, a study showed that the Philippines ranked second to the last among 53 countries in terms of pandemic resilience. Pathetic isn’t it? I don’t know what happened to the billions of pesos this administration borrowed supposedly for Covid. To think that private companies who purchased the vaccines are required to give 50% to the government. Hay!!!

It rains every day now, mostly thunderstorms in the afternoon. I am spared from watering the garden. I dread the times though when heavy rains arrive during the months of August and September. I am afraid of floods.

I hope I could write a post more than once a week. Sometimes though, I feel so lazy.

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Yeay…Books!

I have’t touched a book since I got sick a month ago. I don’t know, my desire to read was nil. The words were foreign to me.

The other day, I attempted to read a Christmas story and I grabbed it setting aside the previous books which I started. I finished it on one day. It was a light read.

Yesterday, I looked at my e-book collection and saw Strangers by Dean Koontz. I don’t normally read anything about paranormal, detective stories and such. I will try to finish this one.

I am afraid I am quite late now with my Goodreads Reading challenge.

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Another Leaf Is Gone

Goodbye February, welcome March.

I just finished a lovely book last night entitled Water From My Heart by Charles Martin. This is how they introduced it at Goodreads.

“CHARLIE FINN had to grow up fast, living alone by age sixteen. Highly intelligent, he earned a life-changing scholarship to Harvard, where he learned how to survive and thrive on the outskirts of privileged society. That skill served him well in the cutthroat business world, as it does in more lucrative but dangerous ventures he now operates off the coast of Miami. Charlie tries to separate relationships from work. But when his choices produce devastating consequences, he sets out to right wrongs, traveling to Central America where he will meet those who have paid for his actions, including a woman and her young daughter. Will their fated encounter present Charlie with a way to seek the redemption he thought was impossible — and free his heart to love one woman as he never knew he could?”

I gave it five-stars. I was more interested in how life was described in Nicaragua. The spin of the story is so good. It’s more on family relationship, friendship, cut-throat competition in the business world and a love story too.

Charles Martin is one of the best writers I found years ago. I have read so many of his books and intend to find more.

February is almost at an end. Time flies, it’s been a year now since the lockdown and we’re still without vaccine, the only Asian country which seems to have no concrete plans for Covid 19. They’d rather hang streamers by sara duterte (daughter of their present president) to run next year. Pathetic!!!

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Sunday, Sweet Sunday

Today is the first Sunday of Lent. We renew our baptismal vows and renounce satan. Our godparents did it for us when we were baptized when we were babies.

My goodness, it seems that blogging has temporarily lost its appeal for me. It’s been a while. I have been catching up on my reading. I found new authors, discovered some awesome books too. For the first time I read Blindness by Jose Saramago, an intriguing and interesting story about people who were struck blind in their community and how they struggled to keep alive. It reminds me of the pandemic we have right now. I also found a copy of Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken. His poems are like short stories complete with dialogue about ordinary things. I have finished 28 books so far this year.

Been busy too uploading posts at our Catholic page and to two more private pages of which I am one of the admins.

I took some photos of my garden blooms and trimmed some plants. It is almost summer and my plants are beginning to bloom again. Sometimes I water the garden twice a day because the last few days have been sunny and hot during the day.

We are all observing Lenten abstinence even if mom and I are already exempted from eating meat because we are seniors. One has to give up something too and alms-giving is also recommended.

Happy and blessed Sunday everyone.

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Sunday, Sweet Sunday

Today is the first Sunday of Lent. We renew our baptismal vows and renounce satan. Our godparents did it for us when we were baptized when we were babies.

My goodness, it seems that blogging has temporarily lost its appeal for me. It’s been a while. I have been catching up on my reading. I found new authors, discovered some awesome books too. For the first time I read Blindness by Jose Saramago, an intriguing and interesting story about people who were struck blind in their community and how they struggled to keep alive. It reminds me of the pandemic we have right now. I also found a copy of Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken. His poems are like short stories complete with dialogue about ordinary things. I have finished 28 books so far this year.

Been busy too uploading our Catholic page and two more private pages of which I am one of the admins.

I took some photos of my garden blooms and trimmed some plants. It is almost summer and my plants are beginning to bloom again. Sometimes I water the garden twice a day because the last few days have been sunny and hot during the day.

We are all observing Lenten abstinence even if mom and I are already exempted from eating meat because we are seniors. One has to give up something too and alms-giving is also recommended.

Happy and blessed Sunday everyone.

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Friday Thoughts

Yeay, it’s another weekend. February is running fast.

I’ve been remissed in my blogging updates again. I talked to several friends yesterday through Messenger. I met Maria Luisa several months ago when Sambuhay Interaktib started last year. She is living in Australia with her family. She took these photos of us while we were talking. We touched on so many subjects especially our families and the political situation here in our country.

It was so really nice to catch up with friends online.

Today is my adopted son’s birthday (anak-anakan in Tagalog). Fr. Lovell is still assigned in Iloilo and he does not go online often so we rely on texts which is easier.

Got this photo from their Dominican site. A former classmate in high school saw it and asked me to ask Fr. Lovell if he knows the parents of her son’s in-laws who she thinks are neighbors with Fr. Lovell’s family. The latter confirmed that they are close friends. What a small world!

By the way, I’m done with my 21st book for this year’s Goodreads challenge. Discovering new books and gifted authors in the process.

Have a happy and fruitful weekend.

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Monday, Monday

Yeay it’s cold here even in this early morning. The Siberian winds are bringing this cold weather and we call it Hanging Amihan.

Again, I got lazy blogging. Sometimes it is better to just listen to music and I have been busy making memes for our two groups that I also manage. They are mostly religious in nature since both are Catholic sites.

Here’s one I’d like to share with you. I haven’t published it yet anywhere else. The photo was taken by Nissa in one of their road trips.

I think this was taken in Baler, Aurora province. Last year was the only time they didn’t plan a trip so they bought a new car instead. They are planning to transfer to their new house this year.

I am in the middle of reading Birdsong by Sebastian Falks. Finally, I found a copy. It’s been on my wish list for so long.

Imagine, it is already February. They call it the love month. The first leaf in the calendar is gone. Happy new month to us all, may it be better than last month.

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Behind The Scene

We are almost in the middle of the month and before we know it, January is gone.

Oh my, I missed this blog for three days. Kind of not inspired enough to blog. And to my blogger friends, I am sorry for not even commenting on your posts. Trying to catch up.

I joined Goodreads Reading Challenge again this year. I committed myself to read another 100 books. It is really a challenge for me finishing that much for the year. Started with a historical novel, two books which are some kind of a series, a paranormal story and a thriller and courtroom scenes by Connelly. I found a book about dogs too. The cover was just too tempting because the pictures looks like our dog Noki. It’s my sixth read.

How are you getting along with this Covid environment? Funny how the department of health prefers the vaccine from china which is more expensive and not as effective. They are letting the local governments procure their own and the latter prefer Pfizer. I wonder if they’ll have enough facilities to restore those vaccines.

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Thank God It’s Friday

I was looking for the maintenance crew of our subdivision if one  of them could help me with weeding outside our perimeter  fence but one of our neighbors said that the management of Midtown removed them.  I am willing to pay their daily wage. Sad, for the plight of those who really need help to make both ends meet.

So I started uprooting and weeding unwanted grass early this morning. It still needs a little improvement. I was able to  transfer some snake plants though. Snake plants are so costly here, around P250 to P300 per pot. Sometime last week,  a lady older than I am just uprooted some without  asking for permission.  I hate  it when people are so presumptuous, that is equivalent to stealing, right?  I was in the garden pruning some plants when she passed by. Years ago, we used to have climbing roses in that area but every time they bloom, some passersby even bring scissors to harvest the flowers. So annoying.

My news feed is full of  unwanted sites posting some titles of books listed this year as worth-reading.  Haven’t heard most of their recommendations. Even those which won at Goodreads are so unfamiliar to me. I have two books in mind though to cap  off the year 2020.

These have been on my TBR for more than a couple of years now. They’re next.  Their Eyes Were Watching God is a 1937 novel which is considered as a classic of the Harlem Renaissance. A Wild Sheep Chase is my first book of Murakami.

Have a lovely and blessed weekend to all of you.

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