Know The Difference

Got this on my feed at Facebook today. Sometimes, most of us are paranoid that a simple cough or runny nose is a sign of COVID-19. When I feel that I have a sore throat when I wake up in the morning, I  chew a little fresh ginger and let its juice slide down my throat and it helps big time.

I lately learned that in some hospitals,  in almost every case of death, they link  it to COVID-19 and some of them charge Philhealth so much. Did you know that there is a case of 15B missing in Philhealth’s coffers?  Corruption is rampant everywhere and I find it funny that every time we discover such, the heads of such likely corporations end up in wheelchair. Talk of Ex-Justice Corona, Pres. Gloria Arroyo, Pres. Erap Estrada and now the head of Philhealth begged to be excused from the Senate hearings because accordingly, he is on chemotherapy. The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) was created in 1995 to implement universal health coverage in the Philippines. It is a tax-exempt, government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) of the Philippines, and is attached to the Department of Health. A lot of people are clamoring for the resignation of the Dept. of Health Secretary but the president would not let him go even if it is obvious that the department is being mismanaged and they don’t even have complete plan to address this pandemic.  Philhealth is the only hope for us Filipinos when we are hospitalized and yet they are saying that by next year, there will no longer be funds that could be reimbursed for each patient/member  of it. Where could you find that the head/task force leader in this pandemic is a retired Army general when most nations have doctors/epidemiologists/ science researchers in their midst. Only in the Philippines.

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I Take Comfort In Her Words

I go down to the edge of the sea.
How everything shines in the morning light!
The cusp of the whelk,
the broken cupboard of the clam,
the opened, blue mussels,
moon snails, pale pink and barnacle scarred—
and nothing at all whole or shut, but tattered, split,
dropped by the gulls onto the gray rocks and all the moisture gone.
It’s like a schoolhouse
of little words,
thousands of words.
First you figure out what each one means by itself,
the jingle, the periwinkle, the scallop
full of moonlight.

Then you begin, slowly, to read the whole story.

Mary Oliver, one of the best poets I ever encountered.

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Just Memories

You appreciate a memory when it is carved on pixels and prints.

Long before the word “selfie” was coined. It was one of those times when we went on a road trip to avoid  fireworks and lots of noise in the city while waiting for the last year to shed it’s hoorah and looking forward to a new beginning, another year to celebrate life.

Was just really waiting for the peacock to spread its wings but it seemed it was also waiting for us to leave it in peace.

Have a nice Sunday everyone!

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Life’s A Beach (Part Two)

So it was another road trip for the family and Nate enjoyed the water.  Enjoying the rest of the summer at Adventure Beach Waterpark in Subic, Zambales. Nate prefers the latter compared to Ocean Adventure.

Our little boy who is not so little anymore is quite adventurous. He is not afraid to try new things.

Paddling on a banana boat

Enjoying the water.

 

He found a friend.

 

Father and son

…and we make memories.

 

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Tuesday At The Garden

Woke up a little late because I went back to bed after Josef left for work at 5 am.  What a cold morning, perfect time to have that green tea while watering and inspecting the plants in the garden.

I harvested dried pods of blue ternatea to give to friends when they come over. The two vines I planted have so many green pods and flowers and they are nice covers from outside. They are happily climbing my steel matting. I have two dried red okra ready for planting. A cousin wants to try planting too. When I posted those pictures of my red okra, a lot of people reacted asking, “is it edible”? Of course, it is. It is just like the green one only in a different color.

Some months ago, I got some dried Zinnia flowers at the park near the house. Just planted them this morning. I do hope, they will thrive.  Jom, our good neighbor gave me three cuttings of African tea and I put them in two empty bottles with water. They are now sprouting leaves.  I’ve tasted a freshly brewed cup before. It tasted great.

 

I wonder where I’m going to plant these once they grow a little sturdy. Lack of space is the problem although these are not bushy plants. They are medicinal too.

And here’s something I love about gardening.

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just  the body, but the soul. – Alfred Austin

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Today’s Quote

 

“Flowers are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Hello June

And may I say goodbye again to an old month and say hello to June?

Been doing this for quite sometime now,  remembering the days past and looking forward to the days ahead. Except for the wedding we attended during the first week of the month and a couple  of  times  going to the mall for shopping  and dinner, May was quite uneventful. But of course family day once a month is always something we all look  forward to. Never mind if  we just stay at home most of the time and catch up on family news.  There is always something we’ve missed during Viber calls and text messages.

I was thrilled seeing the short videos  and various photos which Nissa took of their three-day vacation in Baler the other week.  Nate is becoming adventurous. At an early age, he is learning to appreciate places and Nature.

Look at how excited he was to discover the place. Last Saturday he told me casually that they were going to Mall of Asia after their visit here and our conversation went this way:

“I haven’t been to Mall of Asia yet,” I said

He answered, “Come with us next time, I’ll tell Mommy about it”.

“I’ve seen the place but I’ve never been inside yet”.

“It’s a big, big place”,  he said.

I think I don’t need to go there just to see it because there are so many nearby malls in our place and they have the same stores that the Mall of Asia have.

Speaking of Baler, I rather like this serene look of the place.  Seeing the sea always makes me feel at peace.

Imagine yourself waking up to this lovely scenery  and  loving the fresh air. Imagine yourself transported to a beautiful place with not a care in the world. I do, sometimes.

I guess, we have to endure another month of humid weather but maybe not as hot as the month of May. It rains in the afternoon in some places but not in our area.  Sometimes it is cloudy.

I wish you all a very happy new month. May it bring you more blessings in life. Fill that blank page with lovely memories. Write that beautiful story. Fill it with love.

Hello June!

 

 

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Health And Garden Watch

It took me a week to see an ophthalmologist. Finally though yesterday, I was able to see one. The doctor suggested I go to the hospital so she could do the necessary tests for my myopic eyes and  matured cataract. It is my left eye which is affected and may need an operation later. She said it is an outpatient procedure and will only take an hour.  It is  quite expensive of course but I am praying my health insurance would cover it all.  I asked her if reading so often did that but she said we will all have cataract one way or another when we grow old.  Being hypertensive and diabetic may have contributed to it though. One thing that most of us openly ignore is our vision.  I don’t normally go to an optometrist or an eye specialist except when I change lenses for my eye-glass. I wear two pairs, one for long distance and one for reading. the ophthalmologist advised me not to have new lenses.

Last Sunday, I noticed some new shoots of the Vinca and Lantana that I planted from seeds last January. Even the eggplants are showing off and my bell peppers are now flowering.  The bottle gourds  have almost reached  the trellis.

Pink Vinca

A deep pink Vinca. It’s almost purple.

My orange Zinnia., a mini Zinnia actually.

The beauty of gardening – when you see flowers bloom and your veggies are all thriving.  I  picked  an unripe  green jackfruit today to be used as veggies. It is a yummy recipe either cooked in coconut cream or sautéed in ground pork and shrimps.

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Tuesday Thoughts

Son has called me twice already since they left this morning for the airport going to Boracay. It’ll be his second time to take a short break there.  He called me up again  less than an hour ago, they are now  at their hotel in Station One.  We just had heavy rains here due to thunderstorms but Boracay is sunny, the weather there is perfect for all the activities they plan to do. Five days of bliss  and exploration.

Got this photo from Wikipedia.

I think I need to trim our carabao grass again.  It is growing by leaps and bounds because of the rain. I just  feel lazy  because I am trying to finish a historical novel set during WWI and two years after WWII.  I always visit the garden though since our small vacant pond is always inundated with rain water.  We’ve lost the Koi fish years ago when it got flooded and it overflowed.

I chanced upon this insect  atop my pink-striped lily that I could not identify. Do you know what it is?

I haven’t harvested calamansi since  my daughter’s family came over for a visit two weeks ago. Some are ready for picking.  I don’t store them in the ref, I just pick some when I need to marinate something or use them as juice  instead of  drinking soda.   That’s  the  good thing about having some fruits and veggies in the garden aside from the ornamental plants  that I have. I noticed some Jutes growing side by side with our chilli peppers.  Perfect.

May you have the nicest week ever.

 

 

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One Afternoon At the Garden

It’s one of those days that I get to trim the carabao grass again. Although they are growing   a little slow because it is summer I need to weed out unwanted grass too.  The weather is just right for afternoon gardening. I am just halfway through,  I still have so many things to do in the garden.  It was quite windy but the sun shone brightly.

Our two jackfruit trees are bearing so may clustered fruits again. I noticed the small  fruits at the base of the second tree not knowing that the first tree has born fruits earlier.  I took one to cook in coconut cream.

The remaining five are now large enough to ripen. They were a little up the tree so we really didn’t notice them earlier.  Maybe in a month or two, I could harvest again. Every year, these two trees give us  fruits. All we do is water them every morning together with the other plants we have here plus the two Philippine lime shrubs (kalamansi)  that bear fruits all year round. They are just perfect for a small garden.  Some branches are in their flowering stage.

I am getting impatient with the lavender I planted late last year. I wonder how long it would take before it would bear flowers. The herbs I  planted at the same time are doing well. Maybe the lavender need not be watered daily but the weather is hot here so I water them every day.  Gardening is really a hit and miss thing. Sometimes you’ll see some flowers resurrecting in the heat of summer. Sometimes there are unknown plants that just sprout in a corner.  I find fulfillment in gardening though just like I do with reading and blogging.

Gardening is also a relaxing activity and growing things from seeds and branches are just wonderful.    You won’t notice the passing of time when you are in a garden. Some of my bulb plants and the Amazon lilies planted in pots are presently in bloom.  Oh to see them bloom again. What a reward!

Do you love gardening?

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